Fate
by Merely Dreaming
Summary: In a time of war, it is important to keep your friends close. With Voldemort gaining power, the wizarding world is growing more dangerous every day. Can a group of friends learn to stay true to themselves and each other? Can they learn how to love and how to fight for what they believe? Will they all survive? Set in the Marauders' era.
1. Chapter One

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**The summary of this story is pending. Rating later may change to M.**

********NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.

**Welcome to my story, if anyone cares to read it. It's taking a lot of thinking to decide to post it. I've been working on this story for about a year and a half just for fun and decided that as long as I'm writing it, I might as well share it. I am far from a professional writer and, as I said, am merely writing this for fun. Updates don't have a set schedule. I work on this nearly daily, though how much is written depends. I am a college student and my studies come first. Right now my plan is to try to upload a new chapter when I get to about 5000 words. I split my story up into scenes, and they vary in length depending on what is planned to happen. Ever since I've been writing it, I have been sending it to my friend, who reads over it and provides feedback, and I will not post anything until she's had a look at it and given feedback, so this may delay updates as well. Hopefully they stay fairly consistant though. **

**I've just started rewriting what I'd had (over 200,000 words), and the rewrite is what I'm posting here. What you see in this chapter is what I have so far. Since I'm rewriting and drawing from material I've already written, I'm hoping to move fairly quickly through this part of the story. The story is split into two parts: 5th year-Halloween 1981 and the second war. I don't yet know if it will stay one story or split into two.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

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**This story is centered around the marauders, specifically Sirius and an OC. I hope the OC does not scare you away and you give my story a chance. Sorry for the long author's note. They'll be shorter from now on. **

**I hope you enjoy and I'd love to hear your feedback.**

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Fate

Chapter One

_Fate has brought us to this time and place...  
__It is up to us to decide where to go from here..._

A loud boom momentarily filled the Gryffindor common room, followed by a cloud of smoke and raucous laughter. As the smoke cleared away, James Potter's scowling face appeared, blackened by soot. Grumbling irritably, he set down his hand of Exploding Snap cards and removed his glasses, using the sleeve of his robes to wipe them clean. His fellow marauders continued to laugh at his expense, driven on by the cross look upon his face. James ran his sleeve across his face in an attempt to clear off the soot, but it only resulted in smudging it further.

"Shut it, gits," he growled, giving up on removing the soot and replacing his glasses. He only succeeded in causing the laughter to grow louder.

"Sorry, Prongs," Remus managed to choke out as he attempted to calm his laughter, a losing battle. "But you were so confident going into this game. I've never seen anyone lose that badly."

"Not to mention how shocked you looked when you realized that you'd lost," Peter gasped out before dissolving into another bout of laughter.

James's scowl deepened. "Laugh all you want. I say Padfoot cheated."

Sirius shot James an offended look. "I would _never_, Prongs. I hate that you would even think that."

James rolled his eyes as Sirius grinned at him, setting down his winning hand on the coffee table in front of them.

"Want to have another go?" Sirius asked, gathering up the cards.

"Not with you I don't," James replied bitterly.

"You ought to be studying, anyway," Remus spoke up from the chair he sat in, a Transfiguration text book open on his lap. "The O.W.L.s aren't over yet. Not until Transfiguration in the morning."

"I'm bloody tired of studying," James replied.

"Besides," Sirius added, "We've got Transfiguration in the bag."

"Yeah," James agreed. "You don't accomplish what we did without excelling in Transfiguration."

"If you're so proud, why don't you share your accomplishments with Lily?" Remus asked even though they had decided long ago that should they succeed, no one would ever be told their secret. "It's bound to impress her."

James's face fell. "She hasn't so much as looked my way since this afternoon, no matter what I say to her."

"What about Dawson?" Sirius asked, giving in to Remus and pulling his Transfiguration book into his lap, absentmindedly flipping the pages to somewhere in the middle of the book. "She's her best friend. Talk to her about it if you're that upset."

James shook his head. "You saw the way she looked at me before she went after Evans. Between the two of them, I've already been chewed out plenty for the day."

"Maybe they're trying to tell you something," Peter said, causing James's gaze to turn to him.

"Yeah, that girls are too touchy."

"Maybe it's just the girls you hang around, Prongs," Sirius said, his gaze on his book. "Morgan Devereux certainly agrees with me plenty."

James pulled a face. "A bit too much information there, mate."

Sirius grinned and raised his eyebrows at James just as the girl in question sauntered into the common room. A fellow fifth year, Morgan Devereux was easily the girl in Gryffindor House who turned the most heads. She was tall, with long dark hair and brown eyes that always seemed to have a devious glint to them. Despite living so far north, her skin always was perfectly tanned, giving her an exotic look. She was one of the more desired girls in the school, but she favored Sirius and usually saved her time for him.

Sirius was known for spending a lot of his time with multiple girls, stealing away in a broom cupboard between classes or after curfew. There were many girls who were after his heart, but he did not tie himself down, moving between most girls that showed interest- as long as he deemed them worthy of his time. Morgan was a rarity in that he always went back to her for more. She was more of a constant than any of the other girls, but they still couldn't be called anything more than friends with benefits. Sirius would have what you could call a relationship with a girl every now and then, but they were few and far between, and lasted two weeks at most.

Morgan glanced at Sirius, meeting his eyes and giving him the smallest of gestures before heading to the back corner of the common room. Sirius's grin grew, and he closed his Transfiguration book with a snap.

"I'll see you gents later," he said, leaning over and dropping the book into James's lap before standing, stretching his arms over his head before sauntering off to where Morgan had gone to wait for him.

"Whore," James called after him.

Sirius waved his hand at him, but did not reply.

James glanced at Remus and Peter to remark to them about Sirius's habits, but both of their attentions were riveted on their Transfiguration textbook and notes. Sighing, James glanced at the textbook Sirius had deposited in his lap. Reluctantly, he cracked the book opened. He didn't really have anything better to do anyway.

"James?"

Raising his head, he squinted up at the girl standing over him. With her long and wavy honey-colored hair, large blue eyes, and small frame, Samantha Dawson was not the most intimidating looking girl, but he still shifted uncomfortably beneath her gaze. He frowned at the girl who was her sister in every way but blood, nearly flinching away when she shifted her arms to cross over her chest.

"What do you want?" he asked her. "I thought you were mad at me."

Samantha shrugged and dropped down beside him. She turned so that she was facing him, her elbow resting on the back of the couch, her cheek resting in the palm of her hand.

"Lily's the one who's mad at you," she reminded him.

"Yes," he agreed. "And you're the one who shouted at me before going after her."

"You were being an arse."

"Oh, come on. Snape's an absolute git. You hate him just as much as I do."

"Yes," she admitted, inclining her head slightly. "But I also respect the fact that he and Lily are…were…best friends."

James's hazel eyes brightened. "So they're no longer friends then?"

Her face twisted into a scowl. "Don't act so pleased with yourself. It was terrible, what he said to her."

James shrugged. "I only helped her realize what an arse he really is. He hangs out with Rosier and his group. She should have seen it coming."

"She doesn't know about them like we do. You can't blame her."

"Haven't you told her?"  
"Sure, but you can't really understand the extent unless you live it, I think," she mused.

"I guess," he replied. "So are you ready for the exam tomorrow?"

Her face fell, causing him to laugh.

"Come on. You take the most excruciatingly detailed notes in that class, and whenever you have a spare moment, your nose is buried in said notes or the textbook and you have your wand out practicing. There's no way you can't know the information."

"Easy for you to say," she told him. "You and Black are the best in our year at Transfiguration. Which is surprising, if you ask me."

"Why is that so surprising?" he exclaimed, insulted.

"The two of you aren't the most studious is all."

"Sure," he grumbled before gesturing at the book on his lap. "Want some last minute tutoring? It couldn't hurt. Maybe a last minute miracle will happen and you'll suddenly understand it all."

She narrowed her eyes at his last comment, but then gave him a grateful smile. "I think that would be a good idea."

James moved closer to her, moving the book so that it rested in both of their laps and flipping through the pages, looking for material he thought would most likely be on the exam.

"I'm never going to make an E," Samantha said softly as she looked down on the pages James had stopped on. She'd studied them several times, but still wasn't entirely sure how to execute the spell they called for.

"Hey," James said, voice stern. "You can't talk like that or you'll never get through. Have you gotten Adrien to help?"

Samantha nodded. "He was helping me throughout the year but he's been busy studying for N.E.W.T.s lately. He and Nichole are in the library studying for their last test, I think."

"Your brother never had any problem with Transfiguration."

She scowled at his comparison of her and Adrien. "I seem to be the only one in the family who doesn't understand this subject," she said bitterly.

"If you'd rather be tutored by someone who isn't going to make fun of you for not quite grasping the subject," Remus drawled from where he was seated, his eyes still glued to his book, "I'd be more than happy to be of assistance."

"I may need to take you up on that," Samantha said, looking sideways at James as she made to stand.

James reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back down.

"I'll help," he said, briefly glaring over at Remus. He pointed down at the page and began to explain the spell on the page. She leaned over to get a better look, running what he said through her mind in a hope to memorize it. She hoped that she would be able to pull off the exam in the morning. It was the only way she would be able to pursue being a healer.

* * *

Twenty-four hours later, the common room was fairly quiet, a surprise since the fifth and seventh years had been expected to be celebrating their completion of their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. But they seemed to be out of energy and were sprawled in different areas of the common room or already up in their rooms, collapsed on their beds. The other students, having been snapped at to be quiet for months while the fifth and seventh years had tried to study, were careful to be quiet in fear of being snapped at again.

Exhaustedly running her hand through her hair, Samantha descended the stairs from the girls' dorms and into the common room. A quick glance around the common room found her brother stretched out on one of the couches near the fire. His eyes were closed and his shaggy brown hair looked as if he had not bothered to take a brush to it at all that day. She shook her head at him as she approached.

When she reached him, she dropped down, sitting on his legs. He grunted softly at her sudden weight and cracked open an eyelid, revealing an eye just as blue as his sister's.

"What?" he said, sounding slightly irritated over his rest being interrupted.

"I would have thought you would have been celebrating the end of exams with Nichole," Samantha said, ignoring her brother's irritation.

Adrien made the effort to fully open his eyes and he blinked at her for a moment before he replied. "We decided to take the night for ourselves. We're too exhausted to really do much more than lie around." His eyes narrowed accusingly. "I wasn't planning on the added effort of talking."

She grinned at him, leaning back against the sofa to tell him that she did not plan on moving. "Sorry to inconvenience you."

His legs shifted beneath her before he kicked them upwards, pitching her forward and propelling her to her feet. She stumbled when her feet hit the ground, and her knee knocked painfully into the coffee table before she was able to regain her footing. She turned to glare at her brother, who was watching her as he chuckled. The look on her face only caused him to laugh harder. She glared at him a moment longer before she sank to the floor, crossing her legs, propping her elbows on her knees and resting her chin in her palms, staring up at him.

"You're not very nice," she huffed at him.

He inclined his head towards her. "I could say the same to you what with the way you just dropped on me."

"It was the only way I could have gotten your attention."

One of his eyebrows rose in a way that reminded her very much of their father. "I'm fairly certain calling my name would have sufficed."

She shrugged. "Perhaps. But that's much more boring."

"That's a matter of opinion," he muttered, but she could tell that she had won, and that he would amuse her at least for a little while and hold a conversation with her.

"How do you think you did on the exam?" he asked her, a sigh in his voice as he realized he would not be left alone. She knew him well enough that he was only pretending to be annoyed.

She shrugged, none too pleased with the change of topic. She had decided not to think about it until she got her letter with the results that summer, and Adrien was making that a hard thing to do.

"Well, I hope you did well," he said. "I'd hate for all the time I spent tutoring you this year have gone to waste."

She frowned deeply at him. "Whether or not I wasted your time is not what I'm concerned about."

He gave her an easy-going smile. "It'll be fine, Kiwi. I think you understand Transfiguration more than you give yourself credit."

"I wish I was as certain as you seem to be."

Adrien watched her for a moment before he shifted on the couch so that he could reach into his robes. A moment later, he drew out a piece of folded parchment.

"I got this in the post the other day."

He pushed himself up, swinging his legs off of the sofa, as he held the letter out to her. She reached up to take it, curious as to what it was. Unfolding the parchment, she noticed how crinkled it was and how worn the edges were, as if it had been read countless times. She was vaguely aware of James sitting himself beside Adrien as she read over the letter.

"You've been invited to play for Puddlemere United?" she exclaimed, looking back up at him with a grin.

"That's brilliant!" James said excitedly, clapping him on the back. "Have you accepted yet?"

Leaning forward, James snatched the letter out of Samantha's hand so that he could read it, ignoring the look she gave him.

"I'm not going to accept," Adrien said quietly, causing James to freeze, his excitement disappearing.

Samantha was not so surprised. Though she'd been excited for him, she'd doubted he would accept. He had another career in mind.

"Not going to accept?"

His face was filled with more incredulity that she thought would be possible. His mouth gaped open, his hazel eyes wide behind his glasses, the letter threatening to fall from his hand.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, one that a lot of people would kill for. They're one of the best quidditch teams in the country. Why wouldn't you accept?"

Adrien appeared deep in thought for a moment before he answered. "It is a wonderful opportunity," he agreed. "But I have other plans."

"What other plans do you have that could possibly be more important than playing for Puddlemere?"

"I'm going to join the aurors," Adrien replied.

James's mouth snapped closed, his face relaxed, and a sober demeanor fell over the group.

"There's a war starting out there," Adrien continued, "One that's already claimed a lot of casualties, and the numbers are just going to keep climbing. I've watched my family fight for what they believe, I've watched them die for what they believe." He turned to face James and there was a determined glint in his eyes. "And I'll be damned if I don't join them."

Silence fell over them. The war had been starting for awhile now. Adrien and Samantha had already lost most of their family to fighting for the war. Their father was Mad Eye Moody's, the head auror, second in command. When home, they were exposed to what Voldemort and his followers were doing to those who did not support their ideas. At school, they were able to escape and, besides stories that occasionally appeared in the Daily Prophet, they didn't hear much of it. But Adrien was done with school, and he would become just one more member of Samantha's family who was going to risk their life to try and make things right. She knew that it wouldn't be long before the war never left their minds, not completely.

"I've been thinking more and more of becoming an auror," James said softly. "Dad would love if I followed in his footsteps." James's father, Charles Potter, had been an auror, though he was now retired. "And I'd like to know that whatever I'm doing, it's making a difference."

Samantha drew her knees up, folding her arms on top of them and resting her head on her arms. She never liked it when conversations turned to the war. It always made her stomach flutter worriedly. They tended to avoid talking about the war, especially at school. Adrien always made a point to avoid it when she was around. He knew how much it worried her. But it was getting harder and harder to avoid talking about it. It was impossible to avoid talking about something that was becoming an everyday part of life.

Adrien nodded. "My dad's thrilled. My mum hates the idea but she understands."

"Are you going to join the Order?"

"Yes. I've already spoken to Dumbledore. I'll start going to the meetings once I leave school."

The Order of the Phoenix was the group of witches and wizards Albus Dumbledore had gathered together to fight against Voldemort and his followers, and the war they were leaving in their path. Adrien and Samantha's mother, father, aunt, and uncle were all involved, as were James's parents. It was dangerous. Voldemort knew they were a threat, and targeted them when he could. Their homes were surrounded by the strongest of protections charms, their meeting places kept secret with spells. But sometimes, information was leaked. Sometimes protection charms failed. This was how most of the Dawson family, once large and prominent, was down to its last six members. This was why the Order's numbers were dwindling.

"I'm going to join the Order once I finish school," James said. "It will be nice, knowing what's going on at the meetings instead of trying to guess from what mum and dad are saying."

Samantha had similar plans, but she didn't say so out loud. James knew she did, and Adrien knew she intended to join, but he was against it, so she avoided talking of it in front of him. James seemed to have noticed that she had fallen silent when their conversation turned, because he glanced at her before changing the subject.

"We're going to miss you around here next year. You're the best quidditch captain we've had in years."

Adrien gave him a smug look. "I know."

Samantha snorted. "Don't sound arrogant or anything," she muttered.

"He won us the quidditch cup this year," James told her. "He's allowed to sound arrogant."

"Sorry if I don't agree."

"Just because you don't like quidditch-"

"I like quidditch," she protested. "I just don't like brooms."

"A pity," James said. "If you were anything as good as your brother, we wouldn't have to worry about finding a chaser that will be good enough to replace him."

She shook her head. "You will never get me on a broomstick, Potter."

James gave her an impish grin. "That's what you think."

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't even think about it."

Adrien chuckled. "If you succeed, make sure you take a picture for me."

Samantha gave him a dirty look. "You're supposed to be on my side."

"And why is that?"

"Because you're my brother."

"I didn't exactly get a choice in that matter," Adrien said with a grin. "But I'm going to bed." He stood and ruffled the top of her hair before heading towards the stairway to the boys' dorm. "Goodnight," he called over his shoulder, ignoring the glare she gave him as she smoothed her hair.

"I think he's got the right idea," James said, rising to his feet and stretching. "I could sleep for hours now that those bloody exams are out of my way."

"Tell me about it," Samantha agreed, reaching up to grasp James's offered hands and allowing him to pull her to her feet.

"I've come up with a brilliant plan to get Lily to speak to me again," James told her as they headed towards the back of the common room.

"The two of you were never really on speaking terms, James," Samantha pointed out as she headed towards the stairs to her dorm. James followed.

"Yes, thank you for reminding me," he said, leaning against the wall at the foot of the stairs. Sighing, Samantha paused to listen to him. "But last night, I couldn't sleep for a bit, so as I was lying awake in my bed, I came up with a brilliant plan to get us back to where we were."

"If you hadn't been torturing Snape in the first place, she wouldn't have been forced to defend him, and if she hadn't been forced to defend him, he never would have called her what he did. You deserve for her to be completely ignoring you.."

James rolled his eyes impatiently. "Just listen."

She sighed. "Alright, alright."

"I figured out that if I come up with an apology that shows her how mature I can be, she'll come running back into my arms."

"She was never in your arms, James."

"A small flaw in a plan that is otherwise brilliant."

Samantha raised an eyebrow at him. "Wait a moment. Did you say that it took you lying awake half the night to think of apologizing to her?"  
"It's brilliant, isn't it?" he asked her excitedly.

She shook her head at him. "I do have to admit, it might help in some way."

"Great," James replied. "Can you help me figure out what to say?"

"No."

"Oh, come on Sam."

"No. Lily's my friend and I'd rather not get stuck in the middle of this. Get Remus to help."

James sighed heavily. "Fine."

She smiled. "Goodnight, James."

"Goodnight," James grumbled after her as she disappeared up the stairs. He turned and began to head to his dorm to find Remus to harass him about helping him come up with a decent apology. Sleep could come later.

* * *

"He's still out there," Samantha said bitterly to the red-haired girl sprawled across her bed. "He won't leave until you come talk to him. He's threatening to sleep in the corridor."

Lily groaned loudly as she pushed herself into a sitting position. "I don't want to talk to him. Or see him for that matter."

Samantha shrugged. "I'm fairly certain the only way he'll leave is if you go tell him to yourself."

"I'll bet if you asked Potter and Black, they'd get rid of him for you," Amber Channing said from the bed across from Lily's. Her long blonde hair was tied back in a messy bun while she painted her nails, likely getting ready for a night with her latest boy, a sixth year Hufflepuff.

"No," Lily and Samantha snapped at once.

Amber shook her head at them, glancing up from her nails. "It was just a suggestion. You're the one who doesn't want to talk to him."

"Can you blame me after what he called me?" Lily asked her.

"I tried to tell you," Samantha said. "Especially when he started hanging around with Rosier and his group.

"I know," Lily sighed. "And I did try to talk to him about that group back before Christmas. He tried to turn it back to Potter and his friends, but I told him the difference was that they didn't use Dark Magic. He seemed to listen to me but nothing really changed, and I just pretended not to notice."

"It's best to just stay away from that whole group," Samantha said. "The lot of them are no good."

"I wish he'd never gotten mixed up with them," Lily sighed. "He didn't used to be like this."

Samantha shrugged. "He was put in Slytherin. It was bound to happen," she told her, though she disagreed with what Lily had said. She was certain Snape had always been the way he was.

Lily stood from her bed, looking as if she were about to march to her death. "I suppose I'll have to go ask him to leave. I'll be back in a moment."

Amber and Samantha watched her leave before turning back to one another.

"I honestly can't say I'm too upset about what happened," Amber told Samantha. "I didn't like her hanging around with Snape."

"I hate to agree," Samantha replied. "But I wasn't too angry about it either."

Amber snorted. "You could have fooled me. What with the way you told off Potter."

"He was being an arse to Lily, too, not just Snape."

"You really ought to teach him why Lily hates him. If he'd learn to be less…Potter-like, he might have a chance."

"I've tried countless times. He's over exuberant. He's always been that way."

" I see Lily's already cracked and gone crawling back to her Slytherin boyfriend."

They turned to find Morgan in the doorway, a sneer on her face. Beside her was Courtney Lismore, another dorm mate and Morgan's shadow. Courtney's light brown hair was never out of place and she always wore clothing that accented her olive green eyes. When she didn't have to wear the uniform black robes that students were required to wear to class. She was nearly as popular with the boys as Morgan was, though Courtney always made a point to stay away from Sirius Black, likely by Morgan's orders.

"Not that it's any of your business," Samantha told her dryly, "But she's only asking him to leave."

"With guys like Potter and Snape chasing her around, she doesn't seem to have much a future, does she?"

"She's got a better future than you," Amber snapped. "At least she doesn't go around throwing herself at any boy she can get her hands on."

"You're one to talk, Channing," Courtney spoke up.

Amber's eyes narrowed but she remained silent. She didn't need to explain herself to anyone, especially Morgan and Courtney.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Samantha asked Morgan. "I hear it's been awhile since you've thrown yourself at Black. He may forget how desperately you want him and find someone else to entertain him."

Morgan pursed her lips. "I don't think there's any chance of that. There's not much better to choose from. At least not in Gryffindor."

Samantha snorted. "As if I'd be interested in a boy like Black anyway."

"No," Morgan agreed. "Only boys like McCalman."

Samantha's mouth snapped closed and her gaze dropped from Morgan's. Amber's eyes narrowed dangerously. Morgan glanced between them, a smirk on her face.

"See you guys later," she said before spinning on her heel and heading out of the dorm, Courtney following behind her.

"Don't listen to them," Amber said to Samantha once the door had closed behind them. "They have no idea what they're talking about."

"The whole school knows," Samantha argued. "When I broke up with Oliver, he made sure everyone knew about it."

"Yeah, but he told everyone that when he told you how he felt about you, you ran. And that's not what happened. So technically, they don't know anything about that."

Samantha rolled her eyes. "Is that supposed to make me feel better about it?"

Amber opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted when the door to their dorm burst open and Lily came storming in. Silently, they watched her as she made her way to her bed and fell forward onto it, pressing her face to her pillow.

"So, how did it go?" Amber asked, breaking the silence.

With a frustrated sigh, Lily rolled over to look at them. "He tried to apologize. Said that it only slipped out. I told him that it was too late; that I've been making excuses for him for years and that no one can even understand why I talk to him. I told him that he doesn't ever deny that he and his little Death Eater friends are aiming to join You-Know-Who. He didn't even deny it then. I told him I couldn't do it anymore; that we've chosen different paths. And I left."

"You're better off not hanging around him anymore anyway," Amber said. "Like you said, he's well on his way to being a Death Eater. You don't want to be associated with him."

Lily shrugged. "I suppose so."

"Is he still out there?"  
"Merlin, I hope not. I have to go on patrol with Remus soon and I don't want to have to talk to him again. What if he still hasn't left?"

Samantha sighed and stood from her bed. "I'll go check and get rid of him if he's still there."

As she made her way through the common room, Samantha hoped that Snape had left. She really did not want to talk to him. Only the fact that Lily probably didn't want to talk to him even more had made her offer to go check for her. When she climbed out of the portrait hole, it didn't take her long to spot his dark figure slumped against the wall and she couldn't ignore the disappointment. She'd hoped that he would have left.

"Why are you still here?" she asked him as she approached, not trying to sound friendly. "Lily made it perfectly clear that she wants nothing to do with you anymore."

He narrowed his eyes at her as he straightened up from the wall.

"It's none of your business," he told her, his voice a low growl. His greasy black hair hung in his face, partly obscuring his dark eyes, and far from the first time, she wondered how Lily could ever have been friends with him.

"Lily's my friend," she replied. "That automatically makes it my business."

"You're just like the rest of your family, getting involved with things that you're better off staying out of."

"At least I'm standing up for what's right instead of following someone who thinks he's above everyone else."

He scoffed. "I happen to agree with the Dark Lord."

"And you're just like the rest of them. I suggest you leave. Lily doesn't want to see you."

Snape's eyes glinted angrily as he stepped closer to her. She clenched her jaw tightly and returned his glare as he stood over her, looking at her down his nose.

"You're not very smart, are you?" he asked her lowly. "Making an enemy with every single Slytherin in this school."

"Is there a problem here?"

The voice came from behind Snape, who stepped away from Samantha and turned to find Sirius Black staring hatefully at him.

"What are you doing here, Snivellus?"

"I was just leaving," Snape snapped.

With one last glare at Samantha, Snape strode away down the corridor, brushing past Sirius, who turned to watch him leave. Once Snape was out of sight, Sirius turned back to Samantha.

"You're welcome, Dawson," he said to her when she remained silent.

She rolled her eyes. "I was doing fine without your help."

"Really?" He raised a dark eyebrow. "It seemed to me that you couldn't get him to leave."

"I would have," she snapped.

He raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. Whatever you say."

She watched him a moment longer before she turned and headed back into the common room. Sirius watched her go, and when she disappeared into the portrait hole, he shook his head and let out a short laugh. It always amused him to talk to her. She was one of the few girls who didn't chase after him, and he enjoyed talking to someone who wasn't trying to talk him into a broom cupboard, even if all she did was snap at him. With another shake of his head, he followed her into the common room to find his friends. Summer was closing in and they had a lot to do before they were separated for the two months of summer.

****************

* * *

**End Chapter**


	2. Chapter Two

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**A bit of a shorter update this time around, but things are busy with school.**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Two

In what felt like no time at all, the students were on the Hogwarts Express, speeding through the English countryside towards King's Cross and their families. Not long after lunch time, Remus was off patrolling the corridors and the remaining three marauders continued to entertain themselves in their compartment. James and Peter were busying themselves with trading food that they had just bought from the trolley. Sirius had slowly grown silent throughout the trip, and was currently staring pensively out the window. He dreaded holidays, endless days spent with his family who, despite having not joined him, supported the Dark Lord and his ideas. His days at home were spent being ignored by his father, having his brother shooting dirty looks at him as they passed in the hallways, and being shouted at by his mother about how much of a disgrace he was to the Black family.

Sirius was broken from his thoughts when something hit him in the head. Startled, he turned to find a chocolate frog resting on the seat beside him. He glanced up to find James watching him.

"Enjoy your freedom while you have it, mate," James told him. "No use dreading the inevitable."

Sirius didn't quite agree with him, but he still picked up the chocolate frog and began to unwrap it.

"Are you sure you don't just want to come home with me?" James asked him. "My parents would love to have you."

Sirius shook his head as he looked at the card, scowling when he found it was another Morgana. He had a whole stack of those. "Wish I could, Prongs. But I'd rather not find out what dear old mum will do when I don't bother to even come home."

James shrugged. "Suit yourself, Padfoot. I'll just keep my eye out for the owl informing me that you're coming to stay. Are you going to be able to visit at all this summer Peter?"

"Dunno," Peter replied. "Dad wants me to help him in his shop in Liverpool. He wants me to take it over eventually."

Peter's father owned a novelty shop that was nestled among various other wizarding shops in Liverpool, though it was not as well known or visited a spot as Diagon Alley.

"And Remus is going on holiday in France," James said. "It's going to be a lonely summer."

"You'll live, Prongs," Sirius said dryly. "You can always spend your time practicing quidditch."

"Speaking of quidditch. Who do you reckon will be made quidditch caption for next year?" James asked as Sirius popped the chocolate frog into his mouth.

"Dunno," Sirius replied thickly around the chocolate. "I hope it's not you, though. You'd be relentless."

"But we'd win," James argued, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses. "I think I'd be the perfect replacement for Adrien."

Sirius snorted. "Of course you do. You've already got a big head and you haven't even been made captain yet."

"I make the most sense. I have the dedication we need. Adrien won us the cup this year because he spent a lot of time working on plays and worked us hard at practices."  
"He was a bloody slave driver," Sirius interjected. "And I know you. You'll be even worse. If you're made captain."

"Of course I'll be made captain. Who else would it be?  
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Mason, for one," he said, referring to his fellow beater, who would be a seventh year and had been a valuable asset to the team since he'd started playing his third year. "He's more than capable."

James shrugged. "Sure, I suppose. I'm still hoping it's me, though."

"Of course you are," Sirius muttered.

"You're being awfully quiet, Pete," James said, ignoring Sirius and turning to his right to look at Peter, who'd been watching them quietly.

Peter shrugged. "Moony and I learned long ago to not get involved when the two of you are talking quidditch."

"Hey," Sirius spoke up, looking insulted. "I'm not nearly as bad as that one." He jerked his thumb in the direction of James.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" James exclaimed.

"You're obsessed, mate," Sirius told him.

"I see nothing wrong with that."

"Quidditch and Evans," Sirius continued. "That's all you think about."

At Lily's name, James's eyes lit up. "Speaking of Evans," he said excitedly. "I had a little chat with her this morning."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"How'd that go?" Peter asked, his eyes filling with curiosity.

"Well, y'know that apology Moony's been helping me with? I told her that I was sorry, and tried hard to stick to what he told me to say."

"And?" Peter prompted when James offered no more.

"She accepted," James replied, a huge grin spreading across his lips. "She even smiled at me."

"Brilliant, mate," Sirius told him.

"I know," he gushed. "A perfect way to start off the summer, if I do say so myself. That's all I said to her. I apologized, she smiled and accepted, I told her I'd see her around and then left. That way, I leave her wondering until September."

Sirius snorted. "I don't know about that mate, but I do applaud you for not throwing yourself at her for once."

"Sirius?"

Their eyes turned towards the compartment door. Morgan Devereux stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame as she stared down at Sirius.

One corner of Sirius's lips tilted up in a smile. "Morgan," he said. "And how may I help you?"

She flicked her dark hair over her shoulder. "I have a compartment all to myself," she told him, a small pout crossing her features, "And I was hoping for some company."

'A compartment all to myself' likely meant that she had chased off a group of first years before coming to find Sirius, but he didn't particularly care how she had come across an empty compartment. Throwing her an impish grin, he replied, "Go on without me. I'll be right there."

She smirked at him and slipped from the compartment, the door sliding shut after her. Still grinning, Sirius leaned back, folding his arms behind his head.

James rolled his eyes. "Have I called you a whore recently?"

"You've had your fair share of girls in the broom cupboard, Prongs," Sirius pointed out. "Back before you completely devoted yourself to Lily."

"I think I'd be more worried if Sirius ever turned down a girl's advances," Peter piped up. "Especially Morgan Devereux's."

"Like that would ever happen," James said. "The day Sirius turns down a girl is the day Remus doesn't turn into a fur ball every month."

"Maybe I'll surprise you one day, James," Sirius said as he pushed himself to his feet.

"He says as he goes off to snog Morgan silly," James called after him before Sirius closed the compartment door behind him.

The corridors were nearly deserted as he made his way down the train, searching for Morgan. He figured she'd probably found one towards the back and began making his way through the cars. It was when he'd stepped into the second-to-last car when his steps faltered. Further down the corridor, his path was blocked by a couple. Though her back was to him, he immediately recognized the girl as Samantha Dawson due to her long mane of wavy hair. The boy's blonde hair hung in his face as he looked down at her, but he recognized him as well. He played on the Ravenclaw quidditch team. Oliver McCalman. The two of them had once dated, if he wasn't mistaken.

He didn't want to seem as if he was watching them, but they appeared to be in a heated conversation, if Oliver's angry face was any indication, and he didn't want to interrupt. He was saved from having to decide what to do, however, when Oliver's eyes landed on him. Following his gaze, Samantha glanced over her shoulder. Her face was already twisted into a scowl, and when her eyes landed on Sirius, it deepened even more. Sirius had to give her credit. Her angry looks could rival that of Moony's when he was trying to study and they were being too disruptive.

Oliver stared at him a moment longer before he turned back to Samantha. He said something else to her before he turned and strode away, disappearing into a compartment a little further down. Her arms crossed against her chest, Samantha leaned back against the wall of the train. Sirius only hesitated a moment before he approached her.

"We really ought to stop meeting like this," he said as he approached, feeling as if it would be rude to simply walk by without a word, no matter how angry she already was. "I'm beginning to wonder about you. You're always arguing with someone when I bump into you."

Her eyes moved to him, and her scowl shifted into irritation. "It's not my fault I'm surrounded by complete arses."

His first instinct was to point out that she had once dated Oliver, and had therefore chosen to be around him, but he kept his mouth shut.

"What are you doing down here anyway?" she asked him. "I thought you'd be with your friends, doing whatever the four of you do."

"I'm looking for Morgan," Sirius told her. "She-"

"Came calling?" Samantha asked, raising her eyebrows and he could swear he saw the tiniest of smiles playing across her lips. "She came through just a few minutes ago," she told him, nodding her head towards the last car. "I imagine she's somewhere in there."

"Thanks," Sirius replied, throwing her a smile as he moved past her. As he made his way down the corridor, he turned back towards her, calling to her, "Hope you have a good summer."

As he turned back around, he did not expect a reply, but a "You, too," reached his ears just as he made to move into the next car. By the time he slipped into the compartment Morgan was waiting for him in, he'd forgotten all about his encounter with Samantha Dawson.

* * *

"It's good to have you kids home again."

Samantha glanced up from the blade of grass she was twirling in her fingers. She smiled, though her mother was not looking at her.

"It's good to be home," she replied.

Elizabeth Dawson was on her knees in her garden, pulling offending weeds from amongst what seemed like an endless sea of flowers. The flowers came from all over the world, and Elizabeth used a spell that kept them blooming year-round. Any other care for the garden, such as watering and weeding, she did without magic. She didn't just love to sit and look at her garden. She loved to care for it.

Samantha sat behind her on the rich green grass of the lawn, and Elizabeth paused her work to glance over her shoulder at her daughter.

"You don't have to say that just to make me feel good," she said. "I know you miss Hogwarts when you're away."

"I do," Samantha agreed. "But I miss you even more."

A smile graced Elizabeth's lips and she pushed the strands of blonde hair that had fallen in her face away before she turned back to her work. Across the garden, Samantha could just see her Aunt Tabitha's black hair as she also worked on clearing weeds, though she was using her wand.

With a sigh, she lay back in the grass, her gaze locked on the brilliant blue of the sky. It was a rare day when there were no clouds in sight, and sky went on forever, uninterrupted. Around her, birds sang songs to each other and she allowed her eyes to slid closed, finding the warm sun dancing across her skin relaxing. She cherished these peaceful moments. With the Death Eaters increasing their attacks, she worried more and more about her family, especially her father and uncle, who were both aurors, her father second in command only to Alastor Moody, the head auror.

Footsteps sounded from behind her but she did not bother to open her eyes. There were only two places she could go and not be on edge, and those two places were Hogwarts, where Dumbledore watched over his students, and home, which was surrounded by countless protection and detection charms. Anyone who apparated to their home had to walk half a mile up a dirt road to their gate because of the anti-apparation charms. Anyone who passed through the charm's barriers with a dark mark would notify anyone inside the house of their presence. The charms were checked, and replaced if necessary, once a week. At home, she was safe.

The footsteps stopped beside her and she frowned when whoever it was stood between her and the warm sun rays that had been so relaxing. As she listened to the person settling themselves on the grass beside her, she opened her eyes to see who was still blocking the sun from her skin.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise when she found it was her brother seated next to her. "Aren't you supposed to be at headquarters?"

Just the last week, Adrien had gone through an extensive interview process after receiving his O.W.L. marks and finding them to meet the auror's standards. This week, he had started training with the other handful of aurors that had been accepted into the program, and Moody was known for being relentless, keeping the trainees for long hours every day, pushing them to their limits. With the way the war was heading, he was taking no chances in making sure they were ready.

"He had to let us go early," Adrien explained. "There was another attack on a muggle family."

Samantha sighed. It was the second one that month.

"Has your father gone over there?" Elizabeth asked, straightening from her work and pulling her gloves off of her hands.

"Yeah," he replied. "Most of the aurors are over there. They're doing several tracking and forensic spells in hopes they can pinpoint exactly who did it so they can focus on specific death eaters. They can't arrest them unless they have proof."

Elizabeth nodded. "With the way things are headed, it won't be long before they're allowed to arrest anyone with a dark mark and then find their proof."

They fell silent as they pondered what was too come. Things were already bad. They couldn't imagine things getting worse, though they knew they would.

Wanting to change the subject, Elizabeth smiled down at Adrien. "I was just telling your sister how nice it was to have you kids home. Though I suppose you won't be around too much longer."

Adrien shrugged. "I'm in no hurry to move out."

"He just doesn't want to move out until he and Nichole decide to move in together," Tabitha said as she walked over to them. Her thick black hair was tied back in her usual braid and her smile was bright.

"It's just too much trouble finding a place to live," he said. "If we do decide to move in together eventually, I'd rather wait until then so we can find something we both like."

"You're just lazy," Samantha told him.

"He's in love," Tabitha interjected. "You'll know what it's like one day. It's a pity things didn't work out between you and that Oliver boy. He was such a kind young man."

"Yeah," Samantha said, smiling weakly. "A pity."

Only Adrien took notice of her changed demeanor.

"How about a bit of tea?" Elizabeth asked. "And I baked a batch of biscuits this morning that would go wonderfully with a cup."

"Sounds fantastic," Adrien replied, grinning up at his mother.

"I'll come help," Tabitha said, following her sister-in-law towards the house. "We'l be out in a few minutes," she called back to them over her shoulder.

After they had disappeared through the back door, silence fell between Adrien and Samantha. He watched her quietly as her eyes closed once more, her face turning away from him.

"They wouldn't bring him up," he told her softly, "If you told them the real reason for breaking up with him."

She let out a soft snort. "Yes, that would go over well." She rolled her head across the grass to look at him. "Dad will want to murder him."

Adrien frowned and plucked a blade of grass, twirling it between his fingers. "I'm not sure that would be a bad thing. The only reason I didn't kill him that night was because you stopped me."

She gave him a rueful smile. "I'm fairly certain the only thing that stopped you was Nichole. You were ready to shove me out of the way and hex him to oblivion despite what I asked."

Adrien shrugged. "It's what he deserved. And you didn't stop James. He and his friends pulled that prank on him in front of the whole school."

"All they did was humiliate him."

"They got a detention for it," he pointed out.

"And you would have gotten much worse," she shot back. "I have no idea what you would have done while you were so angry, but it wouldn't have been worth the consequences."

"Fine," Adrien said in surrender. "But he would have deserved it."

"He was just being a typical boy," she sighed.

Adrien shook his head. "You can't have it in your mind that every boy is a controlling, cheating scumbag like Oliver McCalman. At this rate, you'll never marry and give dad his grandchildren."

She laughed. "He does want those rather badly, doesn't he? I'm just glad he's stopped throwing me and James at one another."

"Dad and James's father finally had to accept that just because the two of you have been best friends your whole lives didn't mean you would fall madly in love with each other."

"Thank Merlin. I thought dad would never stop trying to throw the two of us together."

"Did you know that he asked me if Nichole and I had thought about what to name our children?" Adrien asked her in a loud whisper.

"What?" she exclaimed.

Adrien nodded. "Just the other morning when I went with him to headquarters for the first day of training."

"And what did you say?" she asked curiously.

"I couldn't say anything. I'd never given it any thought. We've only been dating a little over eight months. We haven't even discussed living together yet, let alone children. I think I may have tried to answer but all I managed was a little stutter. Then he changed the subject."

She shook her head, smiling broadly as she sat up. "All he wants are children so he can play and act like a fool with them and you won't even let him have that."

"Shut it, you," he replied, reaching out and shoving her gently. "I'm a lot closer than you are to giving him grandchildren."

"You're also older," she retorted, pushing herself to her feet as her mother and aunt appeared on the terrace, setting down cups of tea and a plate of biscuits on the table. "I still have two years left of school."

Adrien laughed as he stood as well. "You've got me there. Somehow I don't think he'd appreciate grandchildren from you before you're even out of school."

"We're both a bit too young," she said as they began to walk towards the house. "He'll just have to be patient. There's plenty of time, after all."

Adrien agreed, and when Elizabeth asked what the two of them were laughing about, they'd told her it was nothing at all.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	3. Chapter Three

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Three

Sirius lay on his back in his bed, one arm lying carelessly across his forehead as he stared up at his ceiling. He'd been stuck at home for three weeks, but the time had dragged by and made it seem like an eternity. He'd regretted not taking James up on his offer for him to just go home with him the instant his mother had greeted him shortly at King's Cross. He'd had half a mind to just turn around and stalk towards the Potters, but he didn't care to make a scene in front of the whole school. So forcing his face to remain neutral, he'd followed his mother and brother off of the platform, not once looking back at his friends. Now, he was nearing the end of his patience.

Every chance she got, his mother told him how disgraceful he was to their pureblood family. He'd long learned not to snap at her when she did; the consequences were far unpleasant. But the longer he had to listen to her put him down, the harder it became for him to keep his mouth shut and he knew it was only a matter of time before he snapped.

Even if it was only to talk down to him, his mother was the only one who acknowledged his existence. His father had always been a quiet man and since Sirius had turned away from his family's beliefs, he hardly said anything to his son. Regulus was no better. Though they had once been fairly close, now they barely glanced at each other in the corridors at school. But Regulus was not as much unlike his brother as his parents would like to believe. There were times that Sirius wondered if Regulus did not look down on those not pure of blood as much as the rest of his family. Regulus was a nice enough boy, even if he hung around with people such as Evan Rosier and Mulciber. But Regulus was not as strong as him and would not turn his back on his family. That was the difference between the two brothers. Where Sirius would oppose everything they believed, Regulus would do whatever he could to make them happy, no matter what he thought. Sometimes Sirius wondered what it would be like if Regulus was able to stand up to his parents like his older brother could.

Sirius was currently occupying his time by counting down how many days were remaining until the start of term. He would have liked to keep track of it on paper, but if his mother found it she would go on a rant about how he was looking forward to rejoining his disgraceful friends and he did not need to give her anything else to yell about. Sirius figured that, if he was lucky, he would be able to go to James's in a few weeks for the rest of the summer. Normally his mother would get fed up enough with him to allow him to go a ways into the summer, but he never expected her to. If she could muster the patience, she would keep him home all of break just because she could.

The door to his bedroom suddenly made a creaking noise as it was cracked opened and Sirius shifted his eyes to see Regulus peering in at him.

He sighed heavily and turned his gaze back up to the ceiling. "What is it?"

"Mother told me to tell you to come down for dinner," Regulus replied in a voice that suggested that he would hardly care if Sirius stayed in his room and starved to death.

"I'm not hungry," Sirius said at once.

This was a lie of course. Sirius skipped any meal that he could; anything to avoid being around his family. He would sneak down for food when he was able, but it was a difficult task with risk of being caught by his family or Kreacher, their house elf, who would not hesitate to tell his mother what he had been up to. The first thing he would do when he got out of here, he had decided, was eat so much chocolate cake that it made him sick.

After a moment, Sirius heard his door creak shut and he sighed. Yes, he should have just gone home with James, to hell with his family.

"Sirius Orion Black!"

Sirius cringed at his mother's piercing scream. He should have known that was coming. He knew that there would be only so many times before she'd demanded him to come to a meal. The woman had an impressive set of lungs. Even from his bedroom on the fourth floor, her screaming hurt his ears.

"You get down here for dinner this instant!"

Maybe if he ignored her, she would leave him be. He knew it was wishful thinking on his part, but one could-

"NOW!"

No. No hoping in this wretched house.

Sirius grudgingly drug himself out of bed and slowly made his way to the door, running his hand through his hair. The last thing he wanted to do was sit through a dinner with his family but it seemed he would not get a choice in the matter.

He made his way down to the first floor. He refused to look at any of them as he stepped into the dining room and when he sunk into his chair, his gaze remained firmly glued to the plate of food in front of him.

"Thank you for joining us, Sirius," Walburga said from his right in the falsely sweet voice he had heard her employ in many situations. "You must have learned to be late to meals from those muggle-loving friends of yours."

Sirius gritted his teeth together. He wouldn't allow his temper to get the best of him. It never ended well for him and he'd rather avoid it. If he could only sit here and endure whatever she had to say through dinner, then he could retreat back to his room without having to endure her yelling.

Dinner drug by slowly for Sirius. Despite how hungry he was, he only picked at his food, spending his time pushing it around his plate as his mother prattled on about whatever she wished to talk about. His father indulged her with responses at the correct times, but Regulus was just as silent as his older brother. He seemed to be putting all of his energy into avoiding making eye contact with Sirius. Not that he had to worry. Sirius refused to look up from his plate.

"Did you hear about the latest attack, darling?" Orion asked his wife when there was a lull in conversation.

Walburga let out a small laugh. "Those muggles got what was coming. They have no right living in this world. I look forward to see what else Bellatrix's Dark Lord will do. According to her, he plans on disposing of anyone not of pure blood."

Sirius dropped his fork to his plate, the clatter it caused echoing through the room and causing all eyes to turn sharply to him. His grey eyes were hard when he looked up to meet his mother's gaze.

"What makes you feel you're any better than anyone else?" he growled. "Blood doesn't make a person who they are."

His mother shook her head. "Those Gryffindors have brainwashed you. Blood has everything to do with a person's worth. Anyone who is not pure of blood is below us. That is the way things are and you better remember it."

Sirius gave her a disgusted look. "How can you think that? How can you support someone who is killing countless of innocent people?"

She sniffed and pursed her thin lips. "Your cousin has told me of the Dark Lord's plans and I have found that I agree wholeheartedly with them. It is an honor for her to be serving her and once Regulus is old enough," Walburga sent Regulus a proud glance, "he shall serve the Dark Lord as well. I've already given up on you, though I did once have high hopes for you, my eldest son. They disappeared when you were declared a Gryffindor and befriended your filthy friends."

Sirius pushed his chair away from the table roughly, shooting to his feet, as he glared daggers at his mother.

"My friends are better people that you will ever be," he told her heatedly.

"That's enough," Orion said from his seat. Across from Sirius, Regulus had abandoned his food to quietly watch the exchange.

"I wouldn't get too attached to your friends if I were you, though," his mother continued as if no one had spoken. "When the Dark Lord's plans progress further, they won't be around much longer. Enjoy them while you can."

"That's it!" Sirius roared, his eyes flashing dangerously as a fury he had never before felt boiled within him. "I won't sit here and listen to you anymore! I'm tired of hearing your prejudice beliefs!"

Turning on his heel, Sirius stormed from the dining room, ignoring his mother's screech of "Get back here this instant!" and his father's angry, "Where do you think you're going, boy?"

He stormed up the stairs to his room, slamming the door shut behind him with enough force that the walls shook. He grabbed his trunk and drug it to the center of his room, opened it, and proceeded to throw everything he felt he needed into it. He was sick and tired of being here and of always being talked down on, so he was going to do what he should have done a long time ago. He was going to leave and he had no intentions of returning. Just the thought made his heart feel free.

When everything was in his trunk, he grabbed hold of it and proceeded to drag it out into the hall and down the stairs, allowing the trunk to thud loudly down each step. His mother stormed out of the dining room as he passed on his way to the front door.

"What do you think you are doing?" she screeched.

"Leaving," Sirius growled at her, his steps unfaltering. "Something I should have done a long time ago."

He was opening the door, pushing his trunk out in front of him.

"If you leave this house, you are no longer a part of this family!"

Sirius's reply was the door slamming shut behind him.

* * *

"Brennan told me that the latest attack caused more trouble than usual with the ministry," Joseph Potter said.

Grace Potter shook her head. "They can't keep up with the attacks. They're not used to dealing with so many. They're having trouble with muggle authorities."

Joseph sighed. "I can't help but say I'm glad I'm retired. The aurors have got themselves a big mess to deal with. Being in the Order is enough. I don't see how Brennan does both."

"Well, for starters, he's much younger than you are dear."

"He's always been able to handle an impossible amount of stress. I've been saying since the day I began mentoring him that he'll be head auror one day."

James was seated at the kitchen table with his parents as they ate dinner. He was doing his best to remain silent as he listened to them talk. They were always tight-lipped when it came to the topic of the Order. He, Samantha, and Adrien had taken to sharing what they'd overheard with each other and piecing things together from that. He and Samantha had quickly learned this summer that Adrien was now just as secretive as all the other members and had to be even more careful when they tried to figure information out.

"Enough of this talk," Grace said. "It's not proper for the dinner table."

"Fine, fine," Joseph relented. "How was your day today?" he asked, turning towards James.

James shrugged. "Nothing special since no one will let us go anywhere."

"It's for your protection," his mother told him.

James shrugged. "Anyway, we just hung about the house. I tried to talk her into playing quidditch at one point, but you know how Sam is about brooms."

Joseph chuckled. "Oh, yes. She's made it quite clear. It's strange considering how much her father and brother love them."

"And if she was anything as good as Adrien," James added a bit crossly, "We'd have an amazing quidditch team."

"I'm sure you'll manage fine," Grace said with a smile. She'd never quite understood the obsession with quidditch.

"Especially if I'm made captain," James declared, waving his fork in the air.

"Of course you'll be made captain," Joseph told him.

"Can you handle that responsibility on top of your school work?" his mother asked him worriedly. "You'll be in your sixth year. They start preparing you for N.E.W.T.s. There'll be a lot more homework for you to do."

"Don't worry, mum. I'll stay on top of everything."

"You'd better keep your grades up," his father added. "If you want to make anything out of your life. Or are you planning on playing quidditch professionally still?"

James shrugged. "I dunno. I've been thinking about maybe doing something else instead."

He met his father's eye evenly and after a moment, understanding flickered in Joseph's eyes. He glanced at his wife, who had missed the exchange, before opening his mouth to say something, but a knock at the door caused him to remain silent and all three of them turned towards the foyer.

"We weren't expecting anyone," Grace said, worry crossing her face.

Joseph waved his hand dismissively. "It's probably nothing," he said. "James, why don't you go see who it is? Take your wand just in case."

James nodded and stood from the table, patting his robes to make sure his wand was still in his pocket where it belonged. He felt the slender wood against his hand as he headed toward the foyer. He paused at one of the front windows and peeled the curtain back just enough for him to peek through at the doorstep to see who had come calling. His brow furrowed when he saw who it was and he continued to the front door, throwing it opened and stepping out into the cool night air.

Sirius was leaning against the wall that jutted out from the door, his arms crossed over his chest and one foot propped up on his trunk. The wind was rather strong that night and it blew his black hair in every direction, making it hard for James to get a good look at his face, especially when his own hair began to whip around through the air.

"Prongs," Sirius said when James appeared, nodding at him.

"Padfoot?" James asked, confusion lining his voice. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but what are you doing here?"

When Sirius was allowed to leave for the rest of the summer, he always sent an owl ahead to let them know. He hated to impose, and showing up unannounced was something that he never did. Unless something was wrong.

Sirius shrugged. "I had nowhere else to go. I just need a place to stay for a few days until I can figure something out."

James frowned deeply. "Mate, did you…?"

"I can go somewhere else if I'm intruding."

"No way, come in," James insisted, bending down to grab one end of Sirius's trunk. After a moment's hesitation, Sirius grabbed the other end and they pulled the trunk inside, setting it down at the foot of the stairs. "Come on," James gestured towards the kitchen. "We're just having dinner."

"Sirius," James's mother exclaimed in surprise when she saw him follow James into the kitchen. Her lips quickly tilted up into a smile. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your surprise visit?"

Sirius shifted uncomfortably under their scrutiny. Though he did not regret what he had done, he was ashamed to admit to it. He hadn't thought it through, only acted, and now he found himself out in the world with nowhere to live and absolutely no money in his pockets. Not knowing what else to do, he'd gone to James.

His uncomfortable look said it all.

"You'll simply have to stay with us," Grace said, standing to fetch another plate from the cabinets, filling it with food.

"It won't be for long," Sirius assured, allowing James's mother to usher him into a chair. "I just need a few days to figure out different arrangements."

"Nonsense," Joseph spoke up at once. "You're still in school. There's no need for you to worry about finding yourself another place. You'll stay here. At least until you're done with school."

Sirius's heart swelled. This was how family was supposed to treat one another. Not for the first time, he felt as if he were one of the Potters.

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

"No need to thank us, dear," Grace told him, setting a goblet full of pumpkin juice down in front of him. "You've always been like another son. We're glad to have you."

"This is perfect," James spoke up from his seat across from Sirius. "You can help me come up with new plays for the team."

Relaxing in his chair, Sirius rolled his eyes. "You haven't even been made captain yet, mate."

"The key word there is 'yet'. And even if by some strange occurrence that I am not made captain, whoever is will appreciate my plays and will surely accept my offer to act as co-captain."

"Let us know if he annoys you too much," Joseph told Sirius dryly. "We'll ship him off for the rest of the summer if he does."

At James's aghast look, Sirius let out a loud, bark-like laugh, which released the remaining tension in his shoulders and allowed him to feel at home.

"Keep laughing, Padfoot," James said crossly. "When I'm made captain, I'll wear you down every practice."

"Would anyone care for dessert?" Grace asked, rising from her chair as Sirius waved off James's threat.

Sirius's attention turned to her at her question. "It wouldn't happen to be chocolate cake, would it?"

And as if chocolate cake were the key, all thoughts of his family fled his mind.

* * *

"And you think you should be made captain," Sirius taunted James early the next afternoon. "I just beat your arse, Prongs."

James scowled deeply at him. "I let you win, mate."

Sirius snorted. "Of course you did."

After a late breakfast, the two of them had headed out to the field behind James's home to play each other in a game of quidditch. The Potter home was isolated enough that, with the help of the trees that surrounded the field, there was a very low chance of them being seen by muggles. Since it had only been the two of them, they had played with only a quaffle, and whoever scored two-hundred points first would be the winner. Though Sirius normally was a beater, he also made for a skilled chaser and due to their competitive natures, matches between the two of them could always go either way.

They now hovered high above the ground a few feet apart from each other, tossing the quaffle back and forth. Silence fell between them as they tossed the quaffle and James took to studying Sirius. He'd been doing a good job at pretending that he had not left home for good just the day before. But James knew him well enough to know that his mind kept wandering back to the previous night.

"Do you want to talk about it?" James asked him eventually after they'd remained silent for several minutes.

"Hm?" Sirius asked as he caught the quaffle, shaking himself out of his thoughts. He shook his head. "There's nothing to talk about, Prongs."

"Really? I'd say there's a lot to talk about. Like why you came here last night," James said as Sirius tossed him the quaffle.

Sirius's eyes narrowed. "You should know why I came here last night. Your parents seemed to piece everything together just fine."

"And you should know what I mean," James countered, roughing throwing the quaffle back.

Sirius let go of his broomstick to catch the quaffle with both hands, releasing a soft 'oof' when it slammed into his stomach.

"There's nothing really to tell, Prongs," Sirius relented after shooting him a glare. "I don't know what you want me to say."

"How about you start with what your mum said to make you so upset."

Sirius glanced away, a pensieve look on his face. Silence stretched between them. James stayed silent, feeling as if he maybe shouldn't have pushed Sirius to talk.

"This war is only going to get worse, isn't it?" Sirius asked softly.

James was surprised by Sirius's reply, but that was quickly subdued by the seriousness of the topic.

"That's how it's looking, isn't it?"

Sirius was long in replying.

"She told me to enjoy my friends while I can."

A startled look passed over James's face. "Padfoot-"

"It got me thinking," Sirius continued. He did not pass the quaffle back to James, instead shifting it around in his hands, his eyes following it as he avoided looking at James. "What if our days together are numbered because of this war? What if we don't get to live our lives as we should? People are dying every day. It's only a matter of time before it's someone we love."

James took a long moment to mull over Sirius's words before he spoke.

"You're right," he said quietly, causing Sirius's eyes to quickly glance back up at him. "Things are going to change…people are going to die. But shouldn't that be more reason for us to enjoy what we have while we can?" Surprise passed through Sirius's grey eyes. "And you've already started, mate. By putting your family behind you."

It took Sirius thinking this over for several seconds before a small smile began to play across his lips.

"You're right," he admitted eventually.

"'Course I am," James said with a grin. "That's what I'm here for."

"And the arrogance resurfaces," Sirius said while he dramatically rolled his eyes. "It managed to hide for a few minutes at least."

"Why don't you shut your trap," James told him, glaring playfully at him, "So I can beat your arse."

"Don't you mean so I can beat your arse again?" Sirius grinned.

"This time I won't let you win," James countered.

"I'll win either way," Sirius shot back.

"Whatever you say, Padfoot."

They played late into the afternoon, only returning inside when James's mother came out to tell them to come to dinner. They couldn't say who won the most games when it was all over and done with. They'd been too busy concentrating on the fun of the game. They had to enjoy such things while they could, after all. And they planned to make the most of it.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	4. Chapter Four

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Four

"Hurry, boys; we'll be late!"

Grace Potter's voice floated up the stairs. James, his wild hair still damp from a shower, hopped around as he tried to pull on his shoes.

"We're coming, mum," he called down to her as Sirius slipped into the room, his hair still dripping and a towel wrapped around his waist.

Five minutes later, the two of them managed to be downstairs, fully dressed and ready to go They'd spent the afternoon playing quidditch and had lost track of time. The Potters had been invited over for dinner at the Dawson home and they were going to be cutting it close to the time they had been told dinner would be ready.

Grace ushered them out the front door, hurrying them along as Joseph strolled behind them. They would be apparating. Once they cleared the charms that did not allow anyone to apparate or disapparate to close to their home, James attached himself to his mother and Sirius grabbed Joseph's arm and the four of them disappeared with a crack.

They reappeared on a dirt lane in the countryside. Behind them was a sleepy-looking village nestled in the hills. James had told Sirius that the Dawsons lived outside the village of Edgworth in Lancashire. He and James followed behind Grace and Joseph as they made their way up the lane, following a tall, ivy-covered brick wall that ran alongside the lane.

"When do you reckon we'll get our O.W.L. results?" James asked.

Sirius shrugged. "Dunno, mate. I hope it's soon. If I didn't pass History of Magic and have to take it again, I'm bloody blowing my brains out."

James snorted. "Sounds less painful than sitting through that class again at least."

Sirius followed the Potters when they turned towards wall. Pushing aside some ivy, they ducked down and disappeared through the wall. Following their lead, he found there was a gate and he ducked through. Straightening, he was surprised to see a large brick home, also covered with ivy. The grass, trees, and flowers were all vibrant and he guessed that a spell probably helped to keep them so.

"I wonder if Sam knows you'll be with us," James mused as they headed up the path.

Sirius shrugged as he continued to look around.

"How'd your parents meet hers again?" Sirius asked curiously. James had never told him, he didn't think. They were both upper class purebloods; they were bound to know each other that way. But he was curious to know what had made the two families so close.

"My dad was her dad's mentor when he joined the aurors," James explained. "And they were close even when they were working as equals. Dad's retired now, of course, but they still…work together."

Sirius glanced at Grace and Joseph walking ahead of them before softly saying to James, "The Order?"

James nodded. "Yeah."

They'd reached the door and Joseph reached out to knock. A moment later, the door opened, and a woman stood on the other side. She was short, with wavy blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and Sirius knew right away that this was Samantha's mother.

"Hello, Joe," Elizabeth said with a smile, moving to hug Joseph with a kiss on his cheek before greeting and embracing Grace. She stepped aside to allow them in, closing the door before turning to smile at James and Sirius. "I believe Samantha's in the library, James. Why don't you two go up there? Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes."

James led the way up the main staircase, turning left at the top and heading to the library. The door was partially open and James turned back to Sirius, a mischievous grin on his face as he brought a finger to his lips. Sirius rolled his eyes, but stayed silent as James quietly pushed the door opened. As they stepped inside, Sirius glanced around. It was different from the dark library he had grown up in. The room was bright, but comfortably so, with bookshelves lining the walls. The books were well taken care of, unlike the musty Dark Arts books back home. Samantha was seated on the sofa, which sat in front of a fireplace. Her back was to them, resting against the arm of the couch, and her knees were drawn up, a book placed on them.

She turned a page; she hadn't noticed them.

James snuck up right behind her, slamming his hands down on the sofa arm on either side of her, leaning close and exclaiming, "Hey, Sam."

She didn't flinch and turned another page. "Hello, James."

James's face fell, and Sirius couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter, quickly turning it into a cough at James's accusing glare. Samantha glanced over her shoulder, and seemed surprised to see him there.

"Black," she said by way of greeting before turning back to her book.

"Dawson," he said with a nod, moving further into the room as James sat down on the sofa beside her feet. Sirius seated himself in the armchair opposite the sofa.

"So they didn't tell you Sirius would be here?" James asked her.

She shrugged. "I'm sure Adrien was supposed to let me know."

Her gaze remained on her book and James frowned, reaching out and snatching the book from her hand.

"What are you reading?"

He flipped through the pages, ignoring her glare.

"It looks boring to me."

"Then give it back," she snapped.

"Let me see," Sirius spoke up, reaching out.

With a grin, James handed the book off to Sirius, moving the book out of Samantha's reach when she leaned over and tried to grab it. With a sigh, Sirius leaned back in the chair, flipping through the book, reading a line here and there.

"I dunno, James," he eventually said. "It seems pretty interesting to me."

Samantha snorted, bringing Sirius's gaze to her. "It's not exactly your type of book."

Sirius smiled crookedly at her. "Oh, really?" he asked, amusement in his voice. "And just what book would be my type?"

She shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. How to Be an Even Bigger Prat perhaps?"

Sirius's eyes danced as he released his bark-like laugh.

"Is that even a real book?" James asked her.

She gave him an irritated look. "I wouldn't know, would I?"

Sirius was still chuckling as he leaned over, holding her book out to her. She scowled as she snatched it from his hands.

"You're funny, Dawson," he told her, lightly brushing his finger over her nose. Her scowl deepened and he shook his head at her. "Don't frown, love." His finger moved to poke her on the forehead. "It'll give you wrinkles."

She swatted his hand away, her scowl not disappearing. Turning back to her book, she flipped through the pages to find where she had been before James had stolen it.

"Has Adrien let anything slip about the Order?" James asked her just as she began to read again.

She shook her head. "No. He's just as careful as everyone else. And you know how he is. He's never liked to talk about it around me anyway."

James leaned back with a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest. "He's no help at all," he grumbled.

"Hm. We only have two more years. At this point I suppose we'll just have to be patient."

James shot her an irritated look. "Speak for yourself."  
"Asking James to be patient is like asking Lily to fall in love with him," Sirius spoke up, causing James's irritated look to turn to him.

"Well, I didn't ask, did I?" Samantha replied. "So he'll have to live with it."

James scowled at the both of them. Sirius chuckled at him and behind her book, Samantha smiled.

"Samantha," Elizabeth's voice called out from downstairs. "Dinner is ready."

As Sirius and James followed Samantha out of the library and down the kitchen stairs, James elbowed Sirius in the ribs.

"What was all that about?" James hissed soft enough so that Samantha would not hear.

Sirius gave him a sideways look, his face twisted in confusion. "What are you talking about Prongs?"

"'You're funny Dawson.'? 'Don't frown, love.'? And taking her side against me? You were flirting," James accused.

Sirius snorted. "I most certainly was not."

"Don't give me that," James argued crossly. "I know you and your whoreish ways. You'll flirt with nearly every girl who will look your way." He gave Sirius a threatening look. "Don't you start messing with her."

"I'm not going to, Prongs. I promise."

Sirius seemed amused by James's accusation. Samantha Dawson intrigued him, but that was all. She was not the type of girl to seek out pointless flings in the broom cupboards, and even if she were, he would not bother her out of respect for James. He knew better.

James shot him one more untrusting look before he allowed the subject to drop just as they stepped off of the stairs and into the kitchen where everyone was gathered.

Dinner was chaotic. With ten people gathered around the dining room table, there was no other way to describe it. After half an hour, the plates that had been piled high with food at the start of dinner were nearly bare. Everyone had finished eating and the room was filled with talk and laughter.

"The Appleby Arrows are easily the best," Joseph was arguing.

"The obvious choice is the Wimbourne Wasps," Brennan Dawson replied with a roll of his eyes. Brennan was a tall man, with shoulder-length brown hair that he kept tied back at the nap of his neck and kind brown eyes.

"I'm rather partial to the Holyhead Harpies," Samantha's uncle spoke up with a grin and a wink, his blue eyes dancing.

Christopher Nottingham was Elizabeth's brother and Tabitha's husband. Like the Dawsons, the Nottinghams were an old pureblood family. The two families had always intertwined.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, dear," Tabitha said as she tossed her thick braid over her shoulder, slapping her husband good-naturedly on the shoulder.

"Of course, darling," Christopher replied, grin still in place.

Shaking her head, Tabitha turned back to the conversation she had been having with Elizabeth and Grace as the three men laughed.

At the other end of the table, Samantha was being forced to listen to James, Sirius, and Adrien recount the game that had won Gryffindor the quidditch cup. Several times already, she had had to duck as Adrien threw his arms around as he talked about how heated the game had been.

"I'll bet the game seemed just as heated from the stands, didn't it, Dawson?" Sirius asked her, turning his grey eyes on her.

She was surprised at the question and had only opened her mouth to answer when Adrien said, "Sam doesn't like quidditch."

"There's nothing wrong with quidditch," she spoke up, glaring at her brother. "And I like to watch it."

James grinned. "You just don't like brooms."

"Really?" Sirius's gaze turned to him.

James nodded. "Bloody terrified of them, she is. Me and Adrien couldn't even get her to play Shuntbumps when we were kids."

"Sounds unnatural to me," Sirius replied, turning back to Samantha with a grin.

"It is," Adrien agreed.

"Yeah. I remember this one time, we tried to put her on a broom and she-"

"James," Samantha interrupted him with a sweet voice, smiling at him as she slipped out her wand, twirling it around in her fingers. "Don't make me hex you."

"Ah." Adrien reached up and plucked the wand from her fingers, slipping it into his robes. "No underage magic at dinner."

"Yeah," James agreed with a grin. "No underage magic at dinner."

"You're lucky he stopped me, Potter," she snapped. "Just wait until we're back at school."

"I'm not scared of you, Sam," James laughed. He elbowed Sirius. "Isn't she terrifying, Padfoot?"

Sirius opened his mouth to aid James in teasing her when the sound of breaking glass came from upstairs. Instantly the whole table fell silent, and eyes jerked upward to the ceiling. Brennan, Joseph, and Christopher were already on their feet, wands drawn, their eyes intently on the foyer as they strained to hear anything else. With the room completely silent, they could make out the slightest sound of footsteps upstairs.

"They're heading towards the main staircase," Joseph whispered. "Brennan, me and you will head up the staircase. Adrien, you come with us. Christopher, you can try to take them by surprise from behind by going up the kitchen stairs. Grace, you, Elizabeth, and Tabitha stay in the foyer, watching all entrances. We don't know where else they may be."

Brennan's gaze turned down the table, locking eyes with his daughter before glancing at James and Sirius. "The three of you go with Christopher," he instructed. "In the cabinet over the stove, you'll find a coffee mug. It's a portkey. It will take you somewhere safe. You are to stay there until we come and get you, do you understand?"

At their nods, Brennan gestured for everyone to go where they had been instructed. Brennan, Joseph, and Adrien quickly moved towards the main staircase with the three women following after them. Christopher beckoned Samantha, James, and Sirius to come up behind him as he moved towards the doorway to the kitchen.

"Pull out your wands," he instructed.

James and Sirius complied but Samantha swore under her breath. "Adrien has it."

"Stay behind us then," her uncle replied as he moved into the kitchen, keen eyes glancing around the kitchen. "You three stay here until I clear the kitchen."

He moved into the kitchen slowly, wand poised, ready for attack. When he reached the other side, he looked around one more time before motioning for Samantha, James, and Sirius to come to him. They'd only taken one step inside the kitchen when shouts came from upstairs. They froze, their gazes turned to the ceiling.

Christopher cursed. "The kitchen's clear," he told them. "I need to get upstairs. Get out of here."

"Come on," Sirius said as Christopher disappeared, moving towards the cabinet Brennan had told them contained the portkey.

Samantha continued to gaze at the ceiling, worry playing across her face.

"Let's go," James said softly. "They'll be alright." He reached out to grab her hand, pulling her along with him as he followed after Sirius.

"Well, well. What have we here? Did you three think you could sneak away while all the adults did the work?"

The three of them whirled around at the voice as a woman stepped into the kitchen from the hallway, a crude smirk playing across her thin lips. Her hair was long and black, her dark eyes heavy lidded, and her high cheekbones reminded Samantha of Sirius's. James and Sirius had their wands pointed at her in a flash and James pulled Samantha behind them.

"Bellatrix," Sirius spat, hate dripping from his voice. Samantha recognized her name instantly. Bellatrix Lestrange, formally Black, was Sirius's cousin and a notorious Death Eater who was working her way up highly into Voldemort's trust.

"Sirius, dear. Is that any way to speak to family? Oh, I forgot. You ran away and your mother blasted you off of the family tree. A traitor to the family name. That's what you are."

Sirius's eyes hardened. "What are you doing here, Bella?"

She sneered at him, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Just sending a message from the Dark Lord to anyone who stands in his way." Her gaze flickered to James. "_Stupefy_!"

Before they were able to do anything, the stunning spell hit James in the chest, causing him to collapse to the ground unconscious.

"Prongs," Sirius yelled, grabbing hold of Samantha's arm and dragging her back several steps, making sure she stayed behind him. With every step they took, Bellatrix moved as well, stepping over James to move closer to them.

"_Stupefy_!"

Bellatrix brought her wand up, deflecting Sirius's stunning spell as she laughed, "You're going to have to do better than that."

Sirius clenched his jaw tightly and sent another stunning spell at her. She deflected it just as easily. Samantha felt useless watching over Sirius's shoulder as he and Bellatrix exchanged spell after spell. Sirius was pulling out anything that he could think of, but Bellatrix seemed to stay a step ahead of him. They all knew that he was fighting a losing battle.

With a smirk, Bellatrix suddenly made a swooping motion with her wand. Sirius was too slow to block it, and the spell caught him in the chest, knocking him off of his feet and throwing him backwards into the cabinets. He slumped to the ground limply, his wand lying in his open hand.

Samantha stared, wide-eyed, at Bellatrix as her gaze turned to her. Unable to help herself, Samantha backed up a couple of steps.

"Just the Dawson is left standing," Bellatrix taunted cruelly, pointing her wand at her. "What shall I do with you?"

A loud crash suddenly sounded from upstairs, drawing Bellatrix's gaze. Having no time to think it through, Samantha acted on impulse. If she could just get to Sirius's wand, at least she wouldn't be defenseless. It was only a couple of feet away. She turned and moved towards his wand. The movement caught Bellatrix's eye.

"_Crucio_."

The spell seized her and excruciating pain overcame her, causing her to collapse to the ground. She writhed in pain, her blood burning through her body, feeling as if it was on fire, her head feeling as if were about to split open. The pain was unbearable and she arched her neck back, releasing a terrible scream as Bellatrix laughed over her.

Sirius groaned a brought a hand up to his throbbing head. Someone was screaming and he jerked his gaze up to find Bellatrix standing over Samantha, who was writhing in pain from what he knew was the Cruciatus Curse. He gripped his wand tightly, pushing himself to his feet.

"_Expelliarmus_!"

Bellatrix saw him move out of the corner of her eye, breaking the curse she had on Samantha to deflect Sirius's disarming charm.

"Sirius," she pouted as he rushed to Samantha's side, dropping down beside her. Her body trembled from the after-effects of the curse. "You interrupted me. I was having so much fun."

"Leave her alone," Sirius growled, looking up at her, pointing his wand at her threateningly.

Bellatrix cocked her head to the side as she peered down at him. "So valiant. Only a Black who has abandoned his family would stand up for a Dawson. Would you like to take her place then?" Sirius did not reply, only glared up at his cousin. Bellatrix smirked. "Very well. _Crucio_."

This time it was Sirius who writhed on the ground in pain as a scream ripped from his throat, despite how hard he tried to hold it back. Samantha tried to push herself up, but her body still shook and her arms would not support her. She caught sight of Sirius's wand beside her and reached out, taking it up in her hand.

"_Stupefy_!"

Her shaking hand caused the spell to go off course, striking Bellatrix in only the hand. The Death Eater shrieked, breaking the curse on Sirius to glare down at Samantha, her wand once again pointed at her.

"How dare you," she snarled, a madness Samantha had never seen in any person flashing across her eyes. "You're too much trouble. I should have disposed of you from the beginning. _Avada Ke_-"

"_Expelliarmus_!"

The spell missed, but had the desired effect when Bellatrix whirled around, turning her attention away from Samantha. James had pushed himself up into a sitting position, his wand trained on her as he glared at her from behind his glasses.

"It seems I'm going to have to kill all of you. We weren't told to, but I'm sure the Dark Lord will appreciate the sentiment." Her wand came up to point at James. "You first, then." She gasped before she was able to continue, clutching her left forearm in her hand and she scowled. "This will just have to wait for later."

She disapperated before anything could be done.

James's shoulders slumped in relief. They'd been far outmatched. They'd only been distracting her from each other. Somehow, they'd lucked out. If she had not been called away, they probably would have been killed. With a bit of difficulty, Sirius pushed himself up. He was shaking from the curse, but not as bad as Samantha; he had not been under it as long.

Footsteps suddenly began thundering down the stairs and a moment later, Adrien burst into the kitchen. He paused for a moment, his eyes taking in the kitchen before they fell on his sister. Eyes widening, he rushed to her side.

"Kiwi," he said softly.

She looked at him and gave him a small smile. "I'm alright," she murmured.

She tried to push herself up, but her arms still would not support her. Slipping his hands on her shoulders, Adrien helped her up, allowing her to lean against him. More footsteps sounded and Samantha's parents burst into the kitchen, followed closely by James's.

Sounds were beginning to become distant to Samantha as her body reacted to the Cruciatus Curse.

"Take her upstairs and give her this."

She was vaguely aware of being lifted up and closed her eyes at the movement of being carried out of the kitchen, voices following them as they went.

"He's still unconscious."

"We should take him to St. Mungo's."

The voices faded away as Adrien carried her up the stairs and headed to her room. He put her down on her bed, and a goblet was held up in front of her.

"Drink this."

She reached out to take the goblet, but he continued to hold on to it as she pulled it towards her, and he tilted it up so that she could drink. When the goblet was empty, she settled back against her pillows, her eyes closing.

"It'll get rid of the shaking, but I'm afraid you'll be sore for awhile."

Even as he said this, the shaking was subsiding and a sharp ache was settling in its place.

"How is everyone?" she asked quietly. "I heard someone say St. Mungo's."

"Everyone's okay," Adrien assured her. "Uncle Chris got hit by a spell and won't respond so they took him to St. Mungo's. But he'll be okay. There's a few minor injuries but nothing serious. Everyone's okay."

She nodded, her eyes still closed. Silence fell between them and she was moving closer to sleep when Adrien spoke again.

"I'm sorry."

Her eyes opened and she turned her head to look at him. "What?"

"I'm sorry," he repeated, his gaze firmly on the wall. His hand reached into his robes and slipped out her wand. "If I hadn't taken your wand…"

She shook her head. "It wouldn't have made a difference," she told him softly. "We were outmatched."

"Still, I shouldn't have left you unarmed."

"It was an accident," she assured him. "As soon as I heard that noise, the fact that you had my wand slipped my mind too."

He nodded but did not seem convinced. She sighed.

"Adrien," she said gently, placing her hand on his. "It wasn't your fault. Please don't blame yourself."

After a moment, he nodded and gave her a small smile. "Alright, Kiwi. You're right."

"Like always," she said with a smile, causing him to let out a small laugh.

"Like always," he agreed. "Get some sleep," he told her, watching as she struggled to keep her eyes opened. "We can talk more in the morning."

She nodded and her eyes slipped closed. After a moment, he stood from the bed to leave, but her hand shot up to catch his.

"Please stay. Just for a bit longer."

Her eyes did not open, but there was a vulnerability in her voice that he hated to hear.

"Alright," he agreed. "I'll stay as long as you want."

He pulled her desk chair close to the bed and settled in it as she slept. He sat there in the dark for a long while, trying not to think about the way the night could have gone. They'd all made it out alive. Would they be so lucky next time?

* * *

He opened her bedroom door as quietly as he could, allowing the light from the hall to illuminate the room well enough to see. She was sound asleep as he walked to her bed and with a sigh, he sunk in the chair that was still by the bed. Adrien had stayed with her for a long while, but had eventually gone to bed himself. Brennan had wanted to come see his daughter hours ago, but he'd had other things to attend to first. He'd had to fire call Moody to let him know of the attacks. Moody had then come over to help him and Joseph try to figure out how the Death Eaters had gotten through the charms. The Dawson home was surrounded by a heavy layer of charms, including charms that informed them if anyone with a dark mark was near and anti-apparation charms. Their best guess was that the Death Eaters had managed to find a weak spot and had broken all of the charms.

The three of them had then spent several hours reconstructing the charms, being careful to leave no weak spots, and putting a heavier layer on than before. Brennan had still been worried and walked the perimeter several times to recheck them.

Elizabeth and Tabitha had taken Christopher to St. Mungo's and Grace had looked after James and Sirius. He'd just heard from Elizabeth that Christopher had woken up and the healers planned to release him at some point the next day. Once he had received that news and everyone at the house was in bed, he felt he could relax and go to bed himself. But before he did, he wanted to stop by his daughter's room.

Now he sat by her bedside, watching her peaceful face as she slept. "I'm sorry, love," he whispered. "I should have protected you better."

He knew the war was getting worse. But he wanted to protect his family. Despite how close they were to the war, no matter how much Voldemort saw their family as a threat, he wanted to keep his family shielded. He didn't want anything to happen to any of them. But tonight he'd allowed his daughter to get hurt and he felt as if he'd failed them all.

Samantha sighed and shifted in her sleep, and she winced. He leaned forward and ran his hand over her head. He knew how sore she must be.

He stayed there for nearly an hour before he felt he was reassured enough that she was alright to go to bed. He left only when Elizabeth had returned from St. Mungo's and came looking for him. He held her close that night, and before he fell asleep, he promised himself that he would not let any harm come to his family again. Not while he drew breath.

* * *

Sirius sat in bed, leaning against the wall as he looked out the window into the Dawson's back yard. After Samantha had been taken upstairs and Christopher to St. Mungo's, Grace had made sure he and James were alright. They'd then been shown to the guest room they would sleep in that night when Grace was sure they were okay. Before she'd gone to St. Mungo's, Elizabeth had insisted that the Potters to stay the night.

Now it was early morning, the light outside weak, telling the world that the sun was getting ready to rise. Sirius had been restless all night. James had told him of the Order several times. He knew what the Potters and Dawsons, alongside others, were fighting for. He knew that they risked a lot to stand up to Lord Voldemort the way they did. But he'd never really given much thought to the consequences. He'd grown up in a family that had the same views as Voldemort. But he'd heard the stories. He'd seen how vindictive the Slytherins could be. He'd heard how cruel and unforgiving Voldemort was. But when he'd seen his cousin torturing Samantha so viciously the night before it had opened his eyes to what exactly was going on in the war. It had given him a glimpse of what exactly they were up against. It had made him angry, and it had made him want to fight back. Now he couldn't wait for the day when he was no longer expected to just sit back and watch.

Sirius glanced at James, who was sleeping soundly in the other twin bed. He was envious of the other boy's ability to sleep so soundly even after the night that they had just had. Sirius had been tossing and turning all night until he'd given up on sleep altogether. His eyes burned from lack of sleep and he wished he could turn off his thoughts enough to sleep. Swinging his legs over the edge of his bed, he pushed himself to his feet, throwing his robes on over his pajamas and pulling on his shoes. Perhaps a walk would help to clear his mind.

He slipped from the room and made his way down the hall to the back door. He closed the door behind him as softly as he could before pausing, breathing in the fresh summer air. The air was chilly at this time of morning and he wrapped his robes tighter around him as he stepped off of the patio. He'd seen part of the garden from the guest bedroom window, but out here, he could see just how big it was and he headed towards it to get a better look. He stopped suddenly when he saw someone was already occupying the garden. Samantha was seated on a large rock, her arms wrapped around her legs and her head resting on her knees, her gaze glued on the horizon, watching as the sun began to peak over the hills.

He hesitated only a moment before he made his way over to her. He seated himself on the rock beside her, crossing his legs and leaning back on his hands. Samantha watched him out of the corner of her eye but did not say anything.

They sat there in silence, watching as the sun slowly rose into the sky. It wasn't until the sun was completely visible, bathing the world in the orange glow of sunrise, that Sirius spoke, turning to look at her. "How are you?"

Samantha exhaled softly, her arms tightening around her legs. "I'm alright," she responded softly. "A bit sore, but it won't last." She turned her head, her blue eyes meeting his gaze steadily. "What about you?"

He shrugged, one side of his lips turning up into a smile. "I'll live," he replied. "You got it a lot worse that I did."

Samantha dropped her gaze, turning her attention back to the sun. Sirius watched her for a moment longer before he looked away. He couldn't get the image of James collapsing to the ground out of his head, Samantha screaming on the floor…

"It's early," he said, trying to distract the images from his mind. "Couldn't sleep?"

He saw her smile slightly. "No, I have to admit. I slept fairly well considering. I just fell asleep so early."

"I'm envious," Sirius replied. "I watched James sleep like a baby all night. I was tempted to throw something at him."

She let out a soft laugh. "You get used to it after awhile."

His gaze dropped down and he studied the rock's surface. "I know about the war. I know what Voldemort's doing, I know that innocent people are dying. But I never realized that James, and you…" His eyes moved back up to her. She was looking at him now, a slight frown of her face. "That attacks like this could happen to you, to him. That people I actually knew would have their lives put in danger."

"I've grown up with it," she told him quietly. "Pretty much from the very beginning, my family has been trying to stop him. But he grew more and more powerful. My brother, mum dad…Uncle Chris and Aunt Tabitha. We're all that's left. And every day I worry that something will happen and that they'll be taken from me, too."

She turned away from him, lying her head on her knees. She didn't know why she'd told him that. She supposed that for once, it was nice to have someone willing to listen who wasn't so close to home.

"Count yourself lucky, Dawson," he said softly. She lifted her head and her gaze jerked to him in surprise. His gaze was glued to the horizon, the breeze blowing his hair about, making it hard for her to see his eyes. "That you have a family who loves you as much as they do."

She was silent for a moment. "Your cousin," she spoke, drawing his gaze. "She said that…" she trailed off, hesitant to continue.

"That I ran away? That I abandoned my family?" he supplied. She faltered before nodding slightly. "It's true. I did. Wouldn't you have done the same? If your family agreed with his views?"

She was long in replying. "I don't think I would have had that kind of courage," she eventually admitted quietly.

"I don't agree," he told her. "I think you would have had the courage to leave long before I did. You know how to stand up to what you believe far better than I."

She gave him a small smile. "But it's my family who has taught me to."

He turned to look at her. His grey eyes were surprised. He had never thought of it that way. The only thing he'd ever learned from his parents was how not to be. He wondered what it would be like to grow up with a family like Samantha's, who would teach him how to be the best person he could, who would love him no matter what. Something in his eyes must have betrayed his thoughts, because her smile grew a bit.

"You're lucky, too, Sirius," she told him.

He blinked. He'd never before heard her say his name, but it slid from her lips as easily as it would have if they had been the oldest of friends. It was foreign, and he wondered why they'd never talked like this before. She was different from the female company he usually kept. She was not carefully calculating her words to make sure she told him only what he wanted to hear. She had no intentions of pleasing him enough for him to allow her to follow him to bed that night. They were talking after a night that came close to taking their lives. If the previous night had not happened, they probably never would have had such a conversation. But this was one of the most heartfelt conversations he'd ever had with a girl, and even before it was over, he was wondering if he'd have a chance to have another.

"You have the Potters. They may not be blood, but blood's not what makes family. They care for you as if you were their son."

Sirius had not thought of it that way, and realized she was right. He did have the Potters, and they did care about him as if he really were family. He nodded, giving her a smile, before they fell into a comfortable silence.

"Do you regret it at all?" Samantha asked him just when he'd begun to think their conversation had drawn to a close.

He did not have to wonder what she meant.

"No," he replied after a moment's thought. "They were never my family. Not really. Family doesn't act that way towards one another. I was alone there."

"Then it's good you left," she said more bluntly than he expected from her. "In times like this you have to stick close to those who care for you."

He inclined his head in agreement. "We have to keep our friends close. Because there will come a time when they'll be the only thing holding us up. None of us should ever be alone."

She hated to think of a time like that coming along, but she knew he was right. Silence fell between them once again, but this time both felt more at peace of mind. Eventually, Sirius slid off of the rock, drawing her gaze to him once more.

"I think I might be able to get a bit of sleep now," he told her.

"Good," she said with a small smile.

He returned her smile. "Thanks for the chat, Dawson."

She watched him go, a bemused expression on her face. Even though they both were close to James, they rarely talked save exchanging pleasantries. She'd never realized how interesting talking to him was and she wondered if anything had changed or if they would go on as if it hadn't happened.

Back in the guest room, Sirius fell into the most restful sleep he'd had in a long while.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	5. Chapter Five

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**Sorry for the delay, but the site wouldn't let me edit for a good two weeks for reasons unknown. Also, this update is a bit shorter as the scenes came out shorter than usual. They should pick up their normal length again in the next update.**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Five

Samantha lay on her stomach on her bed, her legs kicking the air as she hummed along with a Celestina Warbeck song. She was working her way through a difficult potions essay Professor Slughorn had assigned his soon-to-be sixth years for the summer. They were to be discussing all aspects of the potion Draught of the Living Death from its history to the details on how to brew it. Rumor had it that he had his sixth years try to brew it for their first class of term. The essay was taking her longer than she liked. She did fairly well in potions, but she wasn't too partial to the subject. The meticulous measuring and in-depth instructions frustrated her; she was much fonder of Charms or Defense Against the Dark Arts.

It had been nearly two weeks since the Death Eaters had attacked her home. It had been several hours after her and Sirius's chat when the Potters had gone home; they'd been in no particular hurry. Sirius had only nodded at her when they'd all said their goodbyes and she figured that nothing had changed despite their conversation. She didn't particularly care either way, but James would have enjoyed the two of them getting along better.

Everything was relatively back to normal by now. Her uncle had returned from the hospital the morning after the attack and was as good as new in a couple of days. The protective charms around their house were stronger than ever and her father and uncle seemed to always been on guard. Even Adrien was more tense than normal. There had been a few more attacks since that night, mostly on muggle homes that seemed to be randomly chosen.

Her O.W.L. results had also finally come in. She'd mostly gotten Es, and much to her delight, she got an O in charms. She'd even managed to get an A in Transfiguration, enough for her to continue taking the class. She didn't particularly want to, but if she wanted to become a healer, she had no choice.

A tapping noise suddenly filled her room and Samantha rolled onto her side to glance at the window behind her. The Potter's screech owl, Apollo, was sitting on her windowsill, tapping impatiently to be let in. Furrowing her brow, she crawled to her window and opened it, allowing Apollo to swoop into her room and land on the bed beside her. She had just sent a letter to off to James with her family's own owl, a barn owl named Celeris, earlier that day. There was no way she'd have a reply already.

Apollo nipped her finger impatiently and Samantha quickly untied the letter that was attached to his leg. As soon as the letter was in her hands, Apollo spread his wings before taking off out the window. She watched him fly off before closing the window and turning her attention to the letter. Turning the letter over in her hands, she saw that 'Samantha Dawson' was written in small, unfamiliar handwriting on the front of the envelope. Opening the envelope, she slid the letter out, curious to see who it was from. Unfolding the parchment, she skipped over the letter to look at the signature.

She couldn't help but be surprised when she saw that the loopy signature at the end of the letter read 'Sirius Black'. She moved her eyes back to the beginning of the letter, noticing that the greeting he had written out 'Samantha Dawson' just like on the front of the envelope. Moving to the actual letter, she read over it quickly, wondering what Sirius Black had to write her about. It was the typical letter. He inquired as to how her summer had been going since he'd last seen her, if she'd heard about the recent Death Eater attacks, and if, she saw with a smile, she'd started his potions essay because he was struggling with making it long enough and James was refusing to help him.

Shaking her head, she tucked the letter between the pages of her potions book before turning her attention back to her essay. Dinner was in an hour and she wanted to try and get the essay done before then. After dinner, she would write a reply. It seemed things had changed after all.

* * *

"I think that play will really give us a jump start on the other teams," James said as he and Sirius walked back towards the house, carrying their brooms on their shoulders.

Just a couple of days before, they had received their Hogwart's letters. In his letter, James had found the badge that named him quidditch captain. He hadn't stopped shouting for hours.

"I can't believe that after all your bragging, you ended up captain anyway," Sirius sighed.

"You're just jealous."

"Yes, Prongs. That's it."

Despite what he said, Sirius was happy for him. James was just the person the Gryffindor team needed to lead them to victory. And Sirius certainly hadn't wanted the job. It would take up a lot of time, time that he would rather spend shut inside a broom cupboard with a girl. He was quite relieved he hadn't been named captain.

"Sirius, dear," Grace called from the kitchen when they slipped through the back door. "A letter's come for you."

James paused to wait as Sirius ducked into the kitchen. He thanked Grace as she pointed to a letter on the counter. He grabbed it and left the kitchen to rejoin James.

"Who's it from?" James asked as they stored their brooms in a cupboard and headed up the stairs to the bedroom they shared. "Remus? Peter?"

"No," Sirius replied, looking down at the letter where 'Sirius Black' was written in the neat, precise handwriting he'd come to recognize as Samantha's.

"Who's it from then?" James asked as Sirius sunk onto his twin bed, ripping the envelope open.

Sirius shrugged as he began to read the letter over. "No one in particular."

"No one in particular? How the bloody hell can a letter be from no one in particular?" James demanded.

"Drop it, Prongs."

But James did not drop it. Before Sirius could stop him, he'd snatched the discarded envelope up off of Sirius's bed and scrutinized it closely.

"This is Sam's handwriting," he exclaimed, narrowing his eyes at Sirius.

"Congratulations, Prongs," Sirius replied. "You have a future in identifying handwriting."

"Stuff it," James growled. "I told you not to mess with her."

"You're not my keeper." At James's deepening glare, Sirius shook his head. "And I promised you that I'd leave her be."

"And yet the two of you are trading letters."

"Honestly," Sirius said with a roll of his eyes. "It's a piece of parchment with a bit of ink on it. What's the harm in that?"

James ignored his question. "Since when are the two of you on letter-trading terms anyway? Last I checked, she'd only give you the time of day if I was around or if she was feeling particularly generous."

Sirius shrugged. "The two of us had a bit of a chat the morning after the attack. I sent her a letter a couple of weeks after mostly to ask her about the potions essay. Because someone," he shot James an accusing look, "Refused to help me out."

"And there are plenty of other people you could have asked before the girl you hardly know that you've promised to leave alone."

"Like who?" Sirius challenged. "Remus is on holiday in France. He finished his homework weeks ago so he wouldn't have to worry about it and I wasn't about to bug him about it. And we both know Peter hasn't even given it a thought."

"You were just looking for an excuse to write her."

"We're _friends_," Sirius stressed. "If you can even call it that."

"You've never been.._friends_ with a girl before."

"She's not like most girls I know."

"Exactly." James crossed his arms over his chest.

Sirius tilted his head back in frustration. "I promised that I wouldn't mess with her. I'm not one to go back on my word. Besides, she's not the sort of girl one would mess with."

James's glare lessened, but he still stared at Sirius as if he did not trust him. "No," he said slowly. "She's not."

With a defeated sigh, James retreated to his own bed across from Sirius's, falling on his back.

"I still don't trust you," he informed Sirius, who had gone back to reading the letter.

Sirius fell back onto his pillow with a sigh, their afternoon of playing quidditch making him contemplate a nap. He meant what he said to James. She wasn't like most girls. He had no intentions of messing with her. He closed his eyes, slipping the letter into his robes for safekeeping until he had a chance to reply. He fell asleep hoping that James would not strangle him in his sleep.

* * *

Samantha glanced up as a knock sounded on her door.

"Come in," she called before turning her attention back to her trunk.

She was sitting in the middle of her bedroom floor, everything that would be going back to Hogwarts spread around her. The Hogwarts Express would be taking the students back to school in the morning and she was making sure she had everything one last time before she packed it away in her trunk.

The door opened and Adrien slipped inside, a piece of parchment clutched in his hand. She glanced at it for a moment before once again turning her attention to mentally going over her checklist.

"What's that you've got?" she asked as she shifted through her textbooks.

"A letter for you," Adrien replied. "Apollo's just delivered it."

"A letter from James then," she said absently. Adrien shook his head, but her attention was still on her books.

"From Sirius," he corrected, his tone frosty.

She slammed the books down loudly and turned to face him, her eyes flashing. "You read my mail?"

He ignored the question. "Since when do you exchange letters with Sirius Black?"

"Since when do you disrespect my privacy to read my mail?" she shot back. "You didn't know who it was from; do you do this with all my mail?"

He shook his head. "I didn't recognize the handwriting."

"And that gives you permission to read my letters?"

"Since when do you exchange letters with Sirius Black?" he asked again, this time more forcefully.

"Not for long," she replied. "Why do you even care?"

"You don't even like him! The only reason you put up with him is because of James."

She shrugged. "I've gotten to know him lately."

His eyes hardened. "'Gotten to know him'? Just how well have you 'gotten to know him'?"

She glared up at him, crossing her arms across her chest. "We're friends. Nothing more."

He nodded. "Right. Friends. This is Sirius Black we're talking about."

"And in case you haven't noticed," She rose to her feet, her glare not once wavering, "I'm not exactly his type."

"Anything is his type, Sam! I thought you were smart enough not to be pulled in by his tricks."

"He's not interested in me," she argued, voice heavy with irritation. "At least not that way. And even if he were, do you really think I'd fall for it? That I'd just jump right in? I hardly even know him, even if I were interested. Don't you think my last relationship taught me better than that?"

Adrien had opened his mouth, ready to retort, but when her words sank in, he hesitated, seeming to be choosing his words more carefully.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt again," he admitted after a moment. "I won't be there this year to watch out for you."

He relaxed his tense shoulders, holding the letter out to her. She took it after a moment's hesitation, giving him a small smile.

"Contrary to popular belief, I am capable of taking care of myself. And I wasn't lying when I told you we were friends. Just friends. He's not my type, anyway."

"Now that," he pointed a finger at her, "I can believe."

She rolled her eyes and set the letter aside. The last thing she wanted to do was read it in front of him, even if he did seem to accept the fact that there was nothing going on except for a friendly letter exchange. She turned back to her things and began to put them into her trunk, having decided that she had everything together. After a minute, Adrien kneeled down and joined her, passing things out of her reach to her.

"I've written James," he declared after several minutes of silent packing. "He's going to be looking out for you this year since I can't."

She sighed heavily. "I don't need looking after. Besides, what in the world could happen to me at school?"

He looked up at her, eyebrows raised. "Do I need to remind you of what happened with Oliver?"

She shot him an irritated look, but allowed the subject to drop. There'd be no changing his mind and even if she managed, James would still jump on the opportunity to play babysitter to her. Despite the fact that he would do it only to annoy her, he was just as protective as Adrien.

It wasn't much longer before her trunk was packed and ready to be taken to King's Cross in the morning. Taking care to steer clear of their previous subjects, the two of them remained seated on the floor for a couple of hours as they chatted and teased each other. They hadn't been separated for such a long time since Adrien has gone off for his first and second years at Hogwarts and Samantha had really been too young to care at the time. Now they were older and the separation seemed far too long.

It was nearing midnight when Adrien pushed himself off of the floor, stretching his arms high over his head.

"G'night, Kiwi," he said, ruffling her hair. "I'll see you in the morning."

She waited until he'd closed the door behind him until she stood herself, yawning as she quickly changed into pajamas. Tomorrow would be a long day and she wanted to get plenty of rest for it. As she moved to her bed, her foot slipped and she glanced down to find Sirius's letter, still unopened, underneath her foot. Bending down, she picked it up before continuing to her bed. It wouldn't hurt to stay up a bit longer so she could read the letter.

* * *

"You can imagine my panic when I read that your home had been attack and I had not yet heard from you," Lily said as the Hogwart's sped through the countryside, drawing closer and closer to Scotland. Not for the first time since the train ride had begun, Lily was berating Samantha for allowing her best friend to find out about the attack through the Daily Prophet, which had sent the red-head into a panic, despite the fact that the article pointed out the fact that everyone was fine.

"At least you had the Prophet," Amber retorted. "I only heard my dad talking about it and he had no idea if everyone was okay. And even when I'm in a panic, someone," she shot Samantha an accusing glare, "Is just as slow as she usually is when answering letters."

Samantha gave them an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I know I'm terrible. But things were crazy a few days after that. I did reply to your letters fairly quickly but dad was using Celeris practically nonstop and I didn't have a way to send them off."

"Sounds like an excuse to me," Amber teased with a wink.

"And you said Potter and Black were there as well?" Lily asked.

At Samantha's nod, Amber smirked.

"I heard a little rumor about Sam and Black this summer."

Lily's eyebrows rose. "Really? And what, pray tell, rumor could there be about the two of them?"

"Would you like to tell her or shall I?"

Samantha's eyes were narrowed on her, her arms crossed over her chest. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, turning her gaze out the window.

Lily's eyebrows rose even further at this and she turned her attention to Amber. "Oh, now I absolutely have to know."

"Well," Amber began with a grin. "I heard that the two of them have been trading letters all summer."

Lily turned to Samantha in surprise. "Really?"

"It wasn't all summer," Samantha muttered.

"How did you find out about it?" Lily asked Amber, ignoring Samantha's deepening displeasure.

Amber shrugged with a smile. "I have my ways."

Samantha was sure that 'her ways' had something to do with one James Potter.

"Does this mean you're joining the masses of Black worshipers?"

Samantha scowled. "We were trading letters. That's all."

"That's just the start," Amber informed her with a wink. "Once Sirius Black sets his sights on a girl, he'll get what he wants."

"He has no such intentions," Samantha retorted. "Not with me, at least. He very well knows that I'm not that sort of girl."

"And I'm fairly certain Potter would skin him alive," Lily added.

Amber shrugged. "Believe what you will. I'll bet something eventually comes of it."

They allowed the subject to drop after that and turned to subjects that would not cause Samantha to scowl. As they continued to speed through the countryside, Samantha found herself staring out the window, wondering what this school year would bring.

* * *

"I swear," Sirius leaned back in an armchair as he patted his stomach, "The start-of-term feast gets better every year."

James voiced his agreement before turning his attention to Remus. "Hey, Moony, did you bring the map?"

"Of course I did," Remus replied. "It's in my trunk. But I'm not working on it tonight, so don't even ask."

The year previous, after having spent years exploring the castle and discovering several secret passageways, the boys had decided to make a map of the school for their use. They'd nearly finished labeling it when Sirius had come up with the brilliant idea to have the map show ever person in the castle. Remus had been volunteered to figure out that complicated spell, but he'd decided to wait until the next school year to begin researching how he would go about it. While he was doing that, James and Sirius had decided to look into protecting the map with a password so not just any person could look at it.

James shot him a slightly offended look. "I wasn't going to. Actually, " he dropped his voice, "I was thinking that we could wait and start after the full moon next week."

"Speaking of the full moon," Peter spoke up. "How did you manage this summer without us?"  
Remus shrugged. "I used to do it alone all the time, didn't I? It was only two moons. It took a bit to recover but my parents are used to taking care of me after."

Sirius tilted his head back to rest on the arm chair, his eyes studying the high ceiling of the Gryffindor common room. "We should figure something out before next summer. So you don't have to be alone."

"It's all well and good but I don't see how we'll do it while keeping the fact that you're all animagi a secret. It's only a couple of full moons out of the year. You shouldn't worry about it."

"Perhaps. I'll still try to think of something though. I'd feel better if at least me or Prongs could be there. No offence to you mate," he added, nodding at Peter. "You're just too small."

Peter shrugged. "It can't be helped."

"So mate," James gave Remus a sideways look, a sly grin on his face that immediately had the other boy suspicious. "Are you looking forward to seeing Leah Barnes again?"

Color rose in Remus's cheek and he muttered under his breath as he glanced away from them. The other three marauders exchanged grins

"What was that Moony?" Sirius asked, leaning forward in his chair. "We didn't quite catch that."

"Yeah, you're going to have to speak up," James added. Peter was doubled over in laughter and Remus glared at them all.

"Why don't you ask Wormtail about that girl from Hufflepuff?" he said grumpily.

Peter's laughter instantly quieted as James's and Sirius's heads snapped towards him.

"What girl?" James demanded.

Peter opened his mouth and seemed to struggle with his words before he pushed himself to his feet. "I'm going to bed."

He strode away quickly and James called after him. "Don't think you can run from us."

When they turned back to Remus, the found the boy had buried his nose in a book.

Sirius shook his head. "We're going to have to teach them a thing or two about girls," he said as a dark haired girl rose from across the common room and began to saunter towards him. "Morgan," he said as she drew closer, a playful smirk playing across his lips. "And how were your holidays?"

She gave a small shrug as she seated herself on the arm of his chair, practically draping herself across his lap. "It was a bit dull. I was lacking my usual…entertainment."

His eyebrows rose. "Oh? And what might that be?"

She smiled and leaned down, pressing her lips to his. When Sirius began kissing her back, James began to make gagging noises.

"I think Pete had the right idea, going to bed. What say you Moony?"

"I agree," Remus replied, pointedly keeping his eyes firmly glued to his book.

They stood, Remus closing his book with a snap.

"Night mate," James said as they headed to the stairs that led to their dorm.

Sirius waved his hand over his shoulder, but his attention was completely focused on Morgan, and it stayed that way for quite awhile.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	6. Chapter Six

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**I should have mentioned this in the first chapter but as this is really the first cannon event, I suppose this is as good a time as any to mention it. Though this story is obviously not cannon, I have done tons of research to keep it as close to cannon as possible. There are some things that will be in this story that were not fully explained or mentioned at all, so a lot of liberties shall be taken, but there are also hours of research behind this story and I'm doing the best I can to stay as true as possible. However, it is a very extensive world. Some things are bound to be left out at one point or another.**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Six

Classes started the next morning. During breakfast, McGonagall came around to her sixth years to help them determine their class schedule for the year. James and Sirius, on the road toward becoming aurors, made sure they signed up for the classes they were required to have: Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Charms, and Transfiguration. They had been told that in order to be accepted, they had to earn five N.E.W.T.s, all at least an 'E'. The two of them also signed up for Muggle Studies, a class Sirius had decided to take back in third year in an attempt to defy his mother. It had worked; he'd received a howler from her. James had signed up with him just so the two of them could take it together, and this year, his decision was no different. He found the subject interesting, at least.

Peter and Remus's schedule were the same as theirs except for Muggle Studies. Peter had for some reason decided to take Divination and even though he often complained about the subject, he decided to take it past O.W.L. level. James theorized it was because Peter had taken a fancy to Professor Dryden. Remus was taking Arithmancy, a decision that had Sirius and James declaring him mental. But he'd discovered a fascination with the subject as soon as he'd begun taking it his third year.

James was ecstatic when he discovered that he had four classes with Lily, information he received through Samantha when they'd compared their own schedules. Samantha and Lily, quite like Sirius and James, were taking all of their classes together. Samantha was hoping to be a healer and thus was required to take the same core classes James and Sirius were. On top of that, she was required to take Herbology, a class that she particularly enjoyed. Lily wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do, but she thought she might quite like becoming a potions maker for St. Mungo's, which required the same classes as Samantha.

The first few days of classes went smoothly. Slughorn proved the rumors to be true by asking them to brew the Draught of the Living Death on the first day. McGonagall jumped right into explaining what would be expected of them in order for them to be prepared for N.E.W.T.s before beginning their first lesson. Samantha took diligent notes to the amusement of James, who had seated himself beside her so that he could offer any help he could. She'd been distraught by the time they walked out of the classroom and James had reassured her that he'd tutor her whenever she needed.

With only a few days before the weekend, the first week of classes went by fairly quickly and by the time the weekend rolled around, the sixth years already had a pretty big pile of homework to work through. On Saturday afternoon, Lily and Samantha found themselves spending their time in the common room, bent over a Transfiguration essay. Samantha was trying her best to hold back her frustration at having to deal with the essay so early into term, but she'd already smudged several words and a good bit more were crossed out. Lily would glance over at her parchment every now and then, but remained silent. Samantha would ask for help if she wanted it.

There was a commotion from across the room and the two girls glanced up to see James pinning a piece of parchment to the notice board while several people crowded around. Some looked excited while some faces fell when they saw what was written on the parchment. James's eyes fell on them and Lily scowled as he began to make his way over to them.

"Fantastic," she muttered. "Now he's coming over here."

Samantha only grinned at her as James reached him, his hand moving to ruffle his hair.

"How's it going, Evans?" he asked, sliding into the chair beside Lily, causing her displeasure to deepened.

"Just trying to stay ahead of homework, Potter," she replied, gluing her gaze back to her parchment.

Samantha was not fooled by her surprisingly cooperative reply, knowing Lily was hoping James would take the hint and leave them alone. James was oblivious, however, and grinning at her reply.

"Do you need any help? I'm rather brilliant when it comes to Transfiguration."

"No," she snapped. "But I think Sam does."

She received the desired outcome when James shifted his attention to Samantha.

"You seem to have created quite a stir," she said when his gaze fell on her, taking the opportunity to change the subject away from her essay. She could do with a break. "Posting tryout information?"

James nodded, glancing over at the notice board where several people were still gathered.

"Some of them are a bit upset. I decided I wanted to keep last year's team together so I'm only looking to replace the positions left behind by last year's seventh years. That means we're looking for two chasers and a keeper. Which is fine with most but there were a few hoping for different positions."

"Well, they can't complain too much if you put together a good enough team to win Gryffindor the house cup for the second year in a row."

"Oh, we'll win the house cup. You're forgetting who's captain."

"You make it impossible for us to forget who's captain," Lily muttered.

James's gaze turned back to her. "I've forgotten to ask you, Evans. How was your summer?"

"It was lovely, Potter. I didn't have to see you once."

James was not deterred by her reply and began to pry her for details of her summer. Samantha watched them go back and forth in silence, knowing she should do something to stop James from pestering Lily but unable to make herself since watching them was a much better form of entertainment than her essay.

"It's sad, isn't it?" a voice said in her ear.

She turned to find Sirius slipping into the chair beside her. Her lips tilted up into a smile.

"I think it's sweet. He's completely devoted to her."

"And she won't even give him the time of day."

"Maybe it is a little sad," Samantha relented. "But still sweet."

Sirius shrugged. "I'm not complaining at least. With his attention completely focused on her, there's more girls for me."

She shook her head. "It's not surprising that that's the only thing you think about."

"It's not the only thing," he said in disagreement, a grin playing about his lips. "He tries harder in quidditch in order to impress her."

"But he'd try hard in quidditch either way," she argued. "Now you're just making excuses."

"If you say so."

"That's wrong, you know."

Samantha turned to find James looking at her, his finger resting at a point in her essay. Lily had turned her attention back to her own homework, likely in an attempt to ignore the boy beside her, and it seemed James had found something else to capture his attention.

Samantha leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You can't turn it in to McGonagall looking like that either. It's a mess."

She blinked slowly at him, frowning deeply. "I'm well aware that I can't turn it in like that. It's called a rough draft, James."

"Well." He tapped the essay. "This part's wrong."

She scowled but pulled the parchment closer to her so that she could read the part he was pointing out. While her eyes were on the essay, she missed the look James shot Sirius and the look Sirius gave him in return.

"Would you like some help?" Sirius asked, leaning closer to her so that he could glance over her essay. "It's not completely wrong, by the way. You only got mixed up a bit."

She smiled gratefully at him. "Help would be wonderful. I can't afford to start the class off by failing an essay."

"You lot are boring," James grumbled. "Doing homework on the first Saturday of term. I'll see you later."

He pushed himself up and walked off after one last wink at Lily. Sirius and Samantha shared a smile as Lily grumbled, "I thought he'd never leave."

* * *

The full moon fell only a week after the students had returned to Hogwarts. Remus began feeling ill several days before but the day of, he remained in bed while the rest of his friends went to classes. After charms, Sirius skipped lunch to go back up to the dormitory to check on Remus, who had been sound asleep just as they had left him. As the day continued to pass, Sirius found himself growing impatient for the upcoming night. He had missed running around with his friends, something he had found to be a better stress reliever than even quidditch, though he was sure that James would be offended if he ever admitted that out loud. They had not joined Remus for a full moon since before the summer and Sirius was looking forward to it. Despite the fact that whenever they talked about it, Remus would shake his head and mutter under his breath about how they were determined to break every rule imaginable, they knew that he appreciated what they had done. The difference in his recovery after the full moon since they'd been accompanying him was worth the risks they were taking.

The day passed fairly quickly. Remus pulled himself out of bed right before dinner to make his way down to the hospital wing, where he would stay until Madame Pomfrey took him to the Shrieking Shack about an hour before moon rise. Going to the hospital wing early helped to keep up his guise of going home for the night to visit his sick mother.

After dinner, the three remaining marauders gathered in their dorm to work on homework that they were going to have to turn in the next morning. Sirius, who had started the assignment the previous day, finished before them and began to fidget impatiently, anxious for the night to start. James and Peter quickly grew tired of his restlessness and kicked him out because he was distracting them too much.

Sirius found himself wandering the corridors idly to pass the time. They would time it so that they arrived right after Remus's transformation. The one ground rule Remus had laid down, very strictly, is that they were not to be there for his transformations. The definite tone in which he had told them this had kept them from arguing otherwise and they were always careful to make sure they did not reach him until after moon rise and that they left before the moon set. Any minute now, he knew, Madame Pomfrey would escort him to the Shrieking Shack.

"I hear Lupin's gone home to his mum again."

The voice was condescending, not concerned. Sirius heard the sneer in Snape's voice before he saw it. Whirling around, his face deepened into a glare.

"So what if he is?" Sirius snapped. "It's none of your business either way."

"No need to snap, Black," Snape said, sneer deepening. "I was merely wondering if you knew whether or not that's where he was really going."

Any response Sirius may have growled out died on his lips and his heart jumped in his chest. He wasn't sure if Snape was only trying to get a rise out of him or if he had seen something he should not have. At his silence, Snape's lips curled into a smile.

"I saw him last spring leaving the hospital wing with Madame Pomfrey when he was supposedly at home. I can't help but think that maybe Lupin is hiding something."

"Madame Pomfrey takes him to Dumbledore's office whenever he goes home. Since the password changes frequently."

The lie slipped from his tongue easily enough, but Snape's questioning was beginning to rattle him. He tried to sound as nonchalant as possible when he spoke.

Snape met his gaze evenly. "Do you always lie for your friends, Black, or is Lupin an exception?"

Sirius looked at the boy standing before him carefully, still unsure if he knew something or if he was just messing with his mind.

"Mind your own business, Snivellus," Sirius eventually said, breaking the long silence.

"Madame Pomfrey was indeed escorting him," Snape continued, ignoring Sirius's warning and the way his grey eyes flashed when he realized that the subject still was not being dropped. "But they were heading towards the entrance hall, not Dumbledore's office. And he looked rather ill."

"He hasn't been feeling well today," Sirius ground out between teeth that he clenched so hard it hurt.

"It shouldn't surprise me. You're a blood traitor. You'd do anything for your friends. I'll bet you don't do it out of good will. I hear you're living with Potter now. If you were to slip up, where would you go?"

"That," Sirius said lowly, voice dangerous, "Is none of your concern nor is it anything I wish to discuss with the likes of you."

Snape paid him no mind, smile growing has Sirius's anger continued to escalate. "They'll leave you. One day they'll see through your act. You'll make a mistake and show them who you really are. Your family has already realized this. How does it feel to have been brushed aside by them?"

"I have a family. The Potters are the only family I could ever want."

Snape shrugged. "They'll see it in time. That underlying darkness you have from your family. The quick temper, the instinct to do whatever you must to get what you want. The insecurity. Unstable."

"You don't know me. Don't talk as if you do."

"They'll abandon you too. When you allow your true self to surface, they'll see who you really are. They'll all abandon you and you'll live the rest of your life alone. Just as you deserve."

That was all he could take. His wand was out in a flash, pointed directly at Snape's crooked nose. Snape seemed unconcerned about the boy who glared daggers at him, who was breathing hard. Snape had struck a nerve. He'd recited Sirius's worst fears and Sirius did not like that he was that readable. He was no longer thinking clearly as his mind spun, threatening to go out of control. Snape needed to be taught a lesson. He needed to know that you could not talk to Sirius Black that way and walk away unscathed.

"Do you really want to know where Remus goes when he leaves?" His voice was soft and he did not sound like his normal self. He was running on adrenaline, spurred on by anger. Later, he would look back and not even be able to remember clearly why he'd said what he'd said, what he'd been thinking at the time. It was almost as if he'd briefly become an entirely different person.

Snape did not say anything, but a small spark shot through his eyes. Sirius took his answer to be that he did want to know. Not once did he stop to think that this was exactly what Snape had wanted, why he had tried so hard to get a rise out of him.

"Under the Whomping Willow is a tunnel. There's a knot that you push on the trunk that freezes the tree; there should be a stick lying around to use. Once the tree is frozen, you duck under the trunk to the passageway. Follow it. It will lead you to Remus and you can find out for yourself what he's up to."

Inwardly, Sirius grinned. A fully transformed werewolf would teach Snape to talk to him the way he had.

"And how do I know what you tell me is true?" Snape asked, eyes narrowed untrustingly.

Sirius shrugged. "There's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

Snape watched him only a moment longer before he turned on his heels and strode away, leaving Sirius smirking in his wake.

"Mate!"

Sirius slipped his wand back into his robes and turned to find James and Peter heading towards him. James must have noticed something in Sirius's face because his grin faded a bit and concern tugged at his face.

"Has something happened?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Sirius replied unconcernedly. "You'll see for yourself soon enough."

James and Peter exchanged confused looks.

"Soon enough as in…?" Peter questioned.

"As soon as we get to the shack, of course. We ought to hurry or we'll miss the show."

The grin fell from James's face completely and he rushed forward to grab Sirius by the robes when he had turned to make his way towards the entrance hall.

"Sirius? What are you talking about?"

"I just got done chatting with Snape," Sirius answered, furrowing his brow at how concerned James suddenly seemed. "He was very interested in what Remus is up to on nights he supposedly goes home to his sick mum. I got tired of the questions so I told him how to find him. He's in for a surprise at the end of the tunnel."

All color drained from James's face. Behind him, Peter had gone white.

"You…you…you told him?"

"Not the secret of course. I thought that would be best found out for himself. I'll bet he wets his trousers."

James released Sirius, backing away from him slowly. "How could you? How could you betray Remus like this? He trusted you! We all trusted you!"

Sirius finally seemed to realize that something was wrong. The anger slowly ebbed away as rationality came back to him.

"Stop letting your anger control you. Not everything's about you."

At that, James turned and took off down the corridor at a sprint, leaving Sirius and Peter staring after him.

"He's right, Sirius," Peter spoke up, glaring at him as he followed after James.

Sirius was left alone in the corridor, staring where his friends had disappeared. His stomach began to knot and what he had done began to sink in. For the first time, he wondered if he'd done something he should not have done.

* * *

Sirius had waited in the entrance hall with Peter, who refused to look at him. It had seemed like forever before James burst through the heavy oak doors, dragging a pale and shaken Severus Snape by the collar of his robes. James had released Snape, who slumped against the wall, and had rounded on Sirius, but before he could begin shouting, Dumbledore had stepped into the entrance hall. Thirty minutes later, all four boys were seated in his office, Dumbledore standing before them behind his desk, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked at the students before him.

"I hope that all four of you understand the severity of what has happened tonight."

James glared at Sirius over Peter's head. Sirius felt the burn of his stare and firmly kept his gaze glued to the bowl of lemon drops on Dumbledore's desk. James had just finished recounting his version of what had happened that night. He'd told them how he'd reached Snape just in time, stopping him just as he'd begun to open the door to the Shrieking Shack, the werewolf on the other side raging at the scent of two humans.

"Mr. Snape."

Snape's eyes glanced up at the headmaster. The Slytherin was stiffly perched on the edge of his seat, sitting as far from the three marauders as he possibly could.

"I'd like to talk with these three boys for a moment. If you could wait outside until we're done? The two of us will have a long chat after."

Snape nodded and muttered a 'yes sir' under his breath, standing from the chair, not able to get out of the office fast enough. In his haste, he tripped over the leg of the chair. Normally, Sirius would have snorted, but he didn't even seem to notice and remained silent as Snape slipped out the door.

"I trust that, as I have suspected for quite awhile, Mr. Lupin has entrusted you with his little secret?"

James and Peter both quietly said "Yes sir," but all Sirius was able to do was nod slightly. His throat had gone dry and speaking seemed impossible.

Dumbledore moved his gaze to Sirius, who, when he felt the headmaster's gaze on him, looked up hesitantly. His blue eyes were not twinkling as they normally did, but his face was not angry either. Dumbledore was always an understanding man.

"But it seems that the promise that was made to keep his secret has been broken tonight." Sirius's gaze dropped back down to the desk. "Would you please tell me, Mr. Black, what possessed you to do what you did?"

Sirius sighed, lifting his shoulders a bit in a half-hearted shrug. "I don't know," he mumbled. On the other side of Peter, James snorted. "He said things to me," Sirius continued, pretending he hadn't heard James. "And I got really angry. I thought he had to pay for talking to me that way…I figured scaring him out of his wits would do the trick. I didn't even think about how it would be betraying Remus's trust."

Dumbledore watched the boy before him for a long moment, realizing that what he had done had not fully sank in.

"Do you know what the consequences of what you did could have been?"

Sirius hesitated before shaking his head. So as gently as he could, Dumbledore told him, watching Sirius pale even more with every word.

Snape could have been seriously injured. Turned into a werewolf. Killed. Remus would have been forcefully removed from school; Dumbledore would have been powerless to stop it. He would have been tried in court and found guilty. Arrested. Executed. For things that were beyond his control.

For punishment, Sirius was to serve a month's detention with Professor McGonagall, to start the next night. It seemed like a light punishment for what Sirius had done, but perhaps Dumbledore had sensed that his friends would put him through the worst punishment of all.

James rounded on Sirius as soon as they had stepped past the stone gargoyle that stood vigil at the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"How could you?" he shouted, hazel eyes flashing angrily. "How could you do this to Remus? He trusted you! He trusted you and you turned around and stabbed him in the back. You're lucky I got to Snape in time!"

Sirius had already thought how lucky it had been that James had been there since Dumbledore had told him what would have happened had Remus gotten to Snape so many times that he'd lost count. He remained silent, having nothing to say in his defense, unable to look James in the eye.

"You betrayed us all," James continued when Sirius did not say anything. "I hope you enjoyed out friendship while you had it."

With one last glare, James turned on his heel and stalked off towards Gryffindor Tower. Peter followed without a word. It was too late to join Remus by now; it was highly likely they'd get caught sneaking off. He would have to be on his own that night.

Sirius watched them leave, the only thing going through his mind was that what Snape had told him earlier that night was true. And the only one to blame was Sirius himself.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	7. Chapter Seven

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Seven

The next few days were some of the worst of Sirius's life.

He'd wandered around the castle for as long as he could but after a few close calls of being caught out after curfew, he'd reluctantly headed back to the common room. Finding a place in the corner, he sat there. His friends were not in sight and he figured they were up talking in the dorm. He didn't plan on setting foot in there any time soon. He'd sat down in the common room all night, running the night's events through his head over and over, wishing that he could go back and do it over. Wishing that he could make himself walk away from Snape.

He left the common room early the next morning, intending to try to talk to Remus before James and Peter did. Maybe if he did, he could somehow make him understand. He was unable to make himself go the hospital wing however, and spent awhile wandering the castle again, trying to convince himself that it would be best to get it over with.

But when he finally did make his feet take him to the hospital wing, he found he'd waited too late. James and Peter were sitting at Remus's bedside, the quite whisper of voices filling the wing. Remus was awake, but he looked worse than he had in a long time. Sirius was only there for a moment before Madame Pomfrey was at his side, ushering him out, quietly telling him that Remus had specifically asked not to see him. His stomach had clenched in the quick moment when he had locked eyes with Remus. The anger he had expected had not been there. Instead, Remus's face reflected that of a boy who had been hurt and betrayed in the worst possible way. And when the doors to the Hospital Wing closed in his face, Sirius felt as if he would be sick.

After that, Sirius took all measures necessary to avoid the hateful looks and stony silence he received from his friends. He missed meals, missed classes, and only went into their dorm at times when they were either elsewhere or asleep. A lot of Sirius's time was spent at the edge of the lake or in the Room of Requirement, a room they had discovered and used for a lot of their studying to become animagi. He avoided corridors at all cost. The marauders had always been inseparable and it had not gone unnoticed that one of them seemed to have been cast out. He could not take the whispers and stares that followed wherever he went. So he tended to go to one place or another and stay there, only leaving when it was time for him to go to his detentions with Professor McGonagall. Remus was kept in the Hospital Wings for nearly two days, the longest he had had to stay there since his friends had successfully become animagi the previous fall. Once he was released, Sirius was even more careful to avoid his friends.

In the Gryffindor common room, it had not gone unnoticed that something had happened between the four boys. Sirius was always careful to be as far from James, Remus, and Peter as he could, usually sitting alone in the back corner, either bent over a piece of parchment or his nose buried in a book. Samantha had taken to watching them carefully. Ever since Wednesday night, she'd noticed, James had been extremely irritable. He always seemed distant and impatient when she spoke to him. Now they were not speaking much at all. She'd been curious as to what could have possibly happened for James to be no longer speaking to his best friend and had approached him on the matter. James had instantly become guarded when she had greeted him, and when she finally asked him about what was going on, he'd shrugged her off, completely avoiding the question. She knew a warning to back off when she saw one and allowed the subject to drop.

She'd given up on trying to find out what had happened. If they didn't want to tell her, that was fine. But she'd begun to worry about Sirius. By the time a week had passed, his grades had already begun slipping, leading her to believe that even though he spent a lot of his time bent over homework in the common room, his mind was always elsewhere. He did not always come to class, and when he did, he sat alone in the back and seemed to not be paying much attention. He was very rarely seen at meals, and when he did show up, he sat down at the end of the table alone, pushing food around on his plate with his fork. She knew, from James, that the marauders had known how to get into the kitchens since their third year, and she hoped that he frequented them more than the Great Hall. She also hoped that this would clear up soon before any lasting damage was made. Until then, she decided, she would do what she could to help.

It was just over a week since the full moon. Sirius was sitting on the far bank of the lake, looking up at the castle. The rest of the school was at dinner, but he didn't have the energy to sit through a meal. He would bide his time here until it was time for detention, and afterwards, he would get something to eat in the kitchens. The house elves had become used to his constant presence and seemed more than happy to give him a little bit to eat.

He was exhausted. He still eventually went up to his bed at night, but only when he was certain the others had gone to sleep. He always made sure to be up and back out of the dorm before they woke up. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep this up for long; the lack of sleep was already hitting him hard. But right now it was a far better option than being around his friends.

He hated that all he was doing was avoiding everyone. He always made it a habit to not care what others thought of him. But it was different this time around. He'd done the very thing he'd sworn not to do when Remus's secret had come out in the open in October their second year. He felt as if he deserved all that he was getting and more.

Light footsteps sounded behind him and he tensed. He wasn't sure who would have followed him out here, but he did not turn around to find out. He wondered if Morgan would have dared to follow him. Despite how distant he'd been, she had not taken the hints and had still expected attention from him. He had not wanted to deal with her on top of everything else and had lost his patience with her rather quickly. She hadn't spoken to him in days. He still hadn't decided if he regretted it or not.

But whoever was approaching him did not speak. His gaze firmly glued to the lake, he listened as they drew closer. When they had reached his side, he heard rustling as the person seated themselves on the grass beside him. The person still did not speak, and he finally turned his gaze towards them, planning to ask whoever it was to leave him alone. Surprise jolted through him when he found Samantha seated beside him, her arms wrapped around her legs as she looked out over the lake. And he found that he could not bring himself to ask her to leave. So, sighing deeply, he turned his gaze back to the lake, watching the sunlight play across the water.

For a long time, they sat there in silence. He was tense at first, uncomfortable with the fact that a person was willingly so close to him after a long week of isolation. He wasn't sure why she was there, but he could not bring himself to speak. He was afraid that he would say something he did not mean. He seemed to be good at doing that. But the longer they sat there, the more relaxed he became, and the more he wondered why she was there.

He nearly jumped when a hand rested on his knee lightly. He turned his gaze back to Samantha to find her blue eyes watching him carefully.

"Whatever it is that has them so angry," she said softly, "They'll eventually move past it."

He was shaking his head before she'd finished speaking.

"No," he mumbled. "They won't."

"They're your friends, Sirius. They can't stay mad at you forever."

"I wouldn't expect you to understand," he snapped, pushing himself to his feet and walking forward several steps. He crossed his arms over his chest, the wind blowing his black hair around wildly. Samantha sighed and stood as well, approaching him slowly. When she reached him, she turned to face him, placing her hand on his arm and gently pushing him to try and get him to turn to look at her. He resisted her for a moment before he gave in and turned to face her, bringing his eyes to hers hesitantly.

"Then help me to understand," she pleaded with him softly.

It was then that he saw the concern in her eyes. She was worried for him, and that was why he answered her.

"I can't tell you what happened," he replied. "But I betrayed their trust. I deserve to never have them speak to me again."

She shook her head at him. "I don't know what you did, Sirius. But it's obvious that you're sorry for it. They're your friends. I'm sure they'll come around eventually."

Sirius wasn't as sure, and he was certain she wouldn't be either if she knew the full story. But he did not voice this out loud.

"But until they do," she continued, a small smile gracing her lips, "I'm here whenever you need to talk. Because none of us should ever be alone. Right?"

He did not respond and instead, before he knew what he was doing, his arms shot out and pulled her against him. She seemed surprised, but she wrapped her arms around him in return. It only lasted a short moment before they pulled away, but Sirius wondered why in that short time his heart had begun to beat hard in his chest, and why being so close to her had made his worries disappear for just that moment. When he released her, it was surprisingly reluctant. When they stepped away from each other, Sirius gave her a small smile, his first one in days.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "You've no idea what that means to me."

She returned his smile before she turned and slowly began to make her way back towards the castle. After a moment's faltering, Sirius moved forward and fell into step with her, his heart a little lighter. Snape had told him that everyone would abandon him, but Samantha had sought him out to tell him that she would never do just that. And that had given him hope. Hope that maybe one day, he would somehow fix things with his friends. But until that day came, he wouldn't be alone.

* * *

After the weekend, Sirius began to go to meals more often and to classes regularly. He was surprised on Monday morning, that when he took his seat alone at the back of the room for Double Transfiguration, Samantha abandoned her usual seat with Lily and Amber to come sit with him. She did it for every class, and for lunch and dinner, and he could not help it when his heart lifted. He tried to ignore the way James's eyes followed her carefully every time. Another week passed this way and though the absence of his friends still screamed at him every moment, the company of Samantha Dawson made it just a little easier to bare.

One evening found Samantha gathered in the common room with Lily and Amber as they worked on homework. Sometimes she sat with Sirius and worked with him instead, but at the moment, he was in detention. She was working her way through a list of questions for Charms that was to be turned in the next day. She'd meant to start them earlier, but she'd also had Transfiguration homework and it had taken her longer than planned to finish.

She glanced up from her parchment when she noticed James enter the common room. He strode through purposely without so much as a glance towards her before disappearing up the stairs to his dorm. She sighed and looked back down at her homework. She and James had talked less and less ever since she'd begun to sit with Sirius. She hated that whatever had happened between the group of friends was effecting her relationship with James but she'd noticed a considerable improvement in Sirius since their talk a week ago. She would not abandon him now.

"Has Sirius told you anything about what happened between the four of them?" Amber asked, having noticed the look on Samantha's face as James had passed through the common room.

Samantha shook her head as she looked up at her. "He doesn't want to tell me any details about it. Which is fine, of course. I just wish James would get his wand out of his arse."

"Nothing seems changed about him to me," Lily spoke up, not glancing up from her Herbology text.

Samantha fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"He's just jealous she's spending more time with his former best friend than with him," Amber said.

"He's not," Samantha protested, but Lily shrugged in response.

"You have to admit that he's seemed even more upset since you've begun hanging around Sirius."

Samantha pursed her lips but did not reply. Lily was right, and she didn't feel the need to stick up for James. Not when he was acting the way he was. She understood that they were angry at Sirius, but it was obvious to her that whatever he had done, he was sorry for it and only wished he could take it back. She did not like how James was treating the situation.

"There's one good thing that's come out of all this," Amber said after a long moment of silence, causing Lily and Samantha to look at her in surprise and confusion, having no idea what good could possibly have come out of it. Amber grinned at Lily. "Potter hasn't made a pass at you in nearly two weeks."

Lily's eyes widened in surprise. "You're right. I hadn't even noticed."

Samantha didn't quite agree that this was a good thing. If James hadn't even been bothering Lily lately, then he was truly not himself. Not for the first time since he'd stopped speaking to Sirius, she worried about him. Sirius was having a hard time right now, but so was James. She'd known him far too long to not worry about him.

She forced herself to turn her attention back to her homework, scrawling an answer to a question across her parchment. She still couldn't quite understand what Sirius could have done to get his friends to act the way they did towards him. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know. Sirius had told her she wouldn't understand. Was he right? If she found out what had happened, would she turn her back on Sirius as well?

She silently berated herself. Sirius wasn't a cruel person. Whatever he had done, he was sorry for it. All she could do, she decided, was wait until his friends came around. Until things turned around, she would be there for him. She believed that it was the only way he would make it through.

* * *

By the time three weeks had passed, Sirius had grown used to the pattern his life had become: Rise early, breakfast, classes, lunch, more classes, dinner, detention, stay up until James, Remus, and Peter had gone to bed. It was exhausting, but he'd found that with Samantha to talk to, it was a little easier to make it through.

The evening of September the twenty-ninth found Sirius at dinner, seated alone at one end of the Gryffindor table. He pushed his food across his plate as he listened to his former friends talking loudly a little further down the table. He may be have been coping better than he had been at first, but every laugh they emitted felt like a slap in the face.

Quidditch practice was due to start the next week. James had not informed Sirius of when tryouts were, not to his surprise. He'd found out about them through Mason Cunningham, his fellow beater, after the fact when the curly-haired boy had approached him to ask where he had been at tryouts. Though they were not required to try out again, members of the team had gone to see who would be picked. What did surprise him was that he was still on the team. He'd fully expected James to kick him off, but as the days continued to pass, it became evident that James still found Sirius's skills on the pitch crucial to the team's success. Samantha had told him that perhaps this would be a good stepping stone to becoming friends again, but Sirius was only nervous about the first practice and how James would handle it.

"Aren't we a little old to be playing with our food?"

Sirius glanced up as Samantha slid into the seat across from him. He caught a glimpse of a brown package in her hands before she slipped it into her lap and he curiously wondered what it was. He gave her a smile as she filled a plate with food. He hadn't been sure if she would sit with him or not. She alternated between him and Lily and Amber. It was a pleasant surprise that she was joining him, especially on this particular night.

"You sat with me at lunch," he pointed out to her as he watched her spoon fruit onto a portion of her plate. "I thought I would be eating alone tonight."

She blinked at him as she returned his smile. "They're working in the library. Lily's tutoring a fourth year Ravenclaw in potions and Amber had homework to do and decided to tag along."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "And you had no homework?"

"I have that Transfiguration essay still," she replied. "And I was in no hurry to start that. Besides, I thought that you could use the company."

He grinned at her. "I will never understand how someone could be so utterly hopeless in Transfiguration." She scowled at him, which only caused his grin to grow larger. "I happen to know someone who is rather brilliant in the subject. He has detention tonight but he's free to help afterwards. He needs to start his own essay anyway."

Her smile returned. "Are you offering to help me, Sirius?"

He shrugged, trying to appear as if he did not care either way. Inside his chest however, though he was not sure why, his heart had begun to pound heavily as he hoped that she would agree to his offered help. It was close to the same feeling he had experienced when he had realized she would be joining him for dinner.

"If that's how you interpreted it," he told her, reaching for his goblet of pumpkin juice

She stared at him for a moment before replying. "Your help would be appreciated. Interpret that as you will."

Sirius snorted into the goblet. "Is that a yes then?" he asked as he set the goblet back down.

"Helping me with Transfiguration sounds like a lousy way to spend your birthday to me, but yes. That was a yes."

He stared at her. It had only been five minutes since she had seated herself across for him and already, she had surprised him twice.

"How did you…?"

"Oh I have my ways," she replied. "So how does it feel? To finally be of age?"

He shrugged, still wondering how she had figured out it was his birthday. He was sure that if he asked her again, she would offer up a reply that was just as unhelpful as the last one and decided to allow it to drop. "Considering the fact that I won't be able to use magic outside of school until the summer, not that different."

She nearly asked him if he was not going home for Christmas, but caught herself before the words slipped out. She had not yet considered that his only home now was with the Potters. But James would have nothing to do with him. Where did that leave him, she wondered, come June if he had not managed to make up with his friends?

They held each other's gaze during the lull in conversation, both aware that they were thinking the same thing. She could kick herself, allowing him to have to think of something like that on his birthday. Then again, he probably didn't need her help to spend time every single day wondering what his future would be.

She grasped the package in her lap, sliding it from out from under the table and setting it down between them. Sirius's brow furrowed as he gazed at it.

"Happy birthday, Sirius," she told him with a smile.

He shook his head at her, his lips twitching as he fought not to smile. "You didn't have to get me anything," he admonished lightly. Merlin knew he certainly hadn't expected any gifts this birthday.

"I know," she replied, nudging the package a bit closer to him. "Open it anyway."

He shook his head at her again before grabbing the package, pushing his plate out of the way as he slid it closer. The package was rectangular and looked suspiciously like it was wrapped around a book. His smile grew as he pulled the strings tied around it loose, unfolding the paper from around its contents.

He'd been right, he realized as he set the paper aside. It was a book. And when he turned it over to look at the title, he released a loud, bark-like laugh. His first laugh in weeks. But he was unable to help himself.

"How to Be a Prat?" he asked, holding the book up for emphasis, waving it in the air. The conversation they had had at their home over the summer repeated itself in his mind. They wouldn't have even referred to each other as friends back then, only two people who spoke to each other occasionally due to the one thing they had in common: James Potter. They had more things than that in common, of course, but back then they hadn't known each other at all. It was funny how quickly things could change. "Where in the world did you manage to find this?"

"My mother and I went into London towards the end of the summer," she replied, grinning broadly, looking quite pleased with herself. "At one point we ended up in a muggle book store and while I was browsing, I caught sight of it in the humor section. I instantly thought of you and just had to get it. My mother thought I was mad for wanting to buy it, but I told her it was important."

He grinned as he cracked open the book, beginning to flip through it. "Do you reckon they'll come out with a sequel titled How to Be an Even Bigger Prat? Because that is technically the title of the book that you recommended for me."

"Somehow I doubt enough people will purchase the book to garner a sequel. But I shall keep my eyes opened just in case."

Sirius skimmed through the book, surprised that someone had put the effort into gathering all of this information into a book. He felt eyes boring into him and hesitated before glancing down the table out of the corner of his eye. James was watching the two of them intently, his eyes narrowed. When Sirius turned and met his gaze, James gave him a withering glare before turning his attention back to whatever he had been discussing with Remus and Peter.

Sirius clenched his jaw and turned his attention back to flipping through the book. Samantha had luckily missed the exchange, having turned her attention to her dinner.

"You know what?" he finally said, drawing Samantha's gaze to him. "Helping you with Transfiguration sounds like the perfect way to spend my birthday."

This time it was Samantha's turn to look surprised. She seemed taken aback for a moment before a smile slowly spread across her lips.

"After your detention then?"

He nodded, closing the book with a snap and gathering his things up to leave. Professor McGonagall would not tolerate him being late.

"It's a date," he replied before striding away, leaving Samantha to stare after him in surprise. If he had glanced back, he might have seen her begin to worry her lower lip.

* * *

**End Chapter**

**Normally I try to keep a sequence of scenes in the same chapter, but the scene that will likely follow-up this last scene will have to wait until next time. It is officially finals week for me and I wanted to get a chapter out before I start my long week of studying.**


	8. Chapter Eight

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**I survived exam week (I hope-grades aren't in yet) and various other family going-ons, and I spent the weekend inspired and was able to get a few scenes out a lot faster than I'd expected. I have a couple of weeks until my summer classes start, so hopefully I get more done while I have more free time.**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Eight

"He fancies you," Amber told Samantha later in the common room. "That's the only logical explanation."

They were seated at a table in the back of the common room, tucked away in a far corner so that their conversation would go unheard. Once Sirius had left, Samantha had been unable to finish her meal, too distracted by what he had said. She'd gone back up to the common room where, she had been glad to see, Amber had returned from the library. She'd immediately dragged the blonde to the table they were currently occupying and told her about the conversation they'd had at dinner. Much to her frustration, Amber did not seem to share her panic.

"That's ridiculous," Samantha protested loudly before glancing around and lowering her voice. Morgan was seated across the room and she was the last person she wanted to hear this particular conversation. "He's Sirius Black. He can have every girl he wants. He wouldn't so much as glance my way."

Amber's eyebrows rose. "Have you been paying any attention the past couple of weeks? You're the only one he'll talk to."

Samantha shook her head. "As friends. That's all we are."

"Did you ever think that maybe he'd like to one day be more than friends?"

"No," Samantha replied instantly. "This was the first time I ever even began wondering what he was thinking."

Amber shrugged. "Maybe he's just starting to figure out that he might like you more than a friend," she suggested. "It's not as if the two of you have spent a lot of time together. Not before all of this began happening at least," she said, referring to Sirius's friends refusing to speak to him. "You've really only spent the past two weeks together. It makes perfect sense if he's just begun to realize he might like you more."

Samantha's gaze dropped down to the table as she pondered Amber's words. "But that's not what I want," she said softly.

Amber watched her for a moment before she spoke again. "You can't stay scared forever," she told her. "You can't let your relationship with Oliver keep you from any more relationships."

"This has nothing to do with Oliver," Samantha argued.

"Doesn't it? Don't tell me you would be this scared if you didn't have your insecurities."

Samantha opened her mouth, but closed it again without speaking. Amber nodded. "They're nothing alike."

Samantha snorted. "Maybe not when it comes to personality but when it comes to relationships, they're rather similar."

Amber shook her head. "They're completely different. Sirius doesn't like to commit to a relationship. He prefers spending time with a girl whenever he feels like it. Oliver…well, he led you on. The two of you were together for nearly a year. You liked him a lot and he took advantage of that to get what he wanted. Sirius may not like to be tied down but he certainly would never treat any girl that way."

"It doesn't matter," Samantha argued. "I'm not the type of girl Sirius Black likes. I want more than meaningless time spent together in a broom cupboard. If he doesn't realize that then he doesn't know me at all. And he can just forget about it."

"Maybe I'm wrong," Amber said after a short pause. "I wasn't there so I couldn't accurately tell you what it meant. He's Sirius Black. It comes naturally to him to flirt. It could have meant nothing at all."

"But he hasn't so much as looked at a girl in weeks."

"True," Amber replied. "But I could still be wrong. Or…maybe's he's grown up and he's realized that he wants more than meaningless time spent together in a broom cupboard."

Samantha groaned and dropped her head into her hands. "What should I do?" she mumbled. "I don't want to say anything because I don't know for sure if that's what it meant. But I like what we have now and I don't want anything to ruin it. I don't…" She trailed off, not sure how to put it, but Amber understood.

"Pretend it didn't happen," she suggested. "Since it could all be a misunderstanding. And if he does say something, just tell him you're not interested. It's that simple."

"It doesn't sound simple to me," Samantha muttered.

"Just," Amber sighed, "Just pretend you didn't notice. Keep going as if it didn't happen. And if he ever says something then…we'll deal with it when it happens. Don't let it change anything now. I don't think he'll make it through all of this without you."

Samantha hesitated before nodding. "You're right. I'll just pretend it didn't happen. I'm probably reading too much into in anyway."

Amber grinned. "So you'll let him help you with Transfiguration later?"

"Of course," Samantha replied. "I'd never finish it without him."

* * *

Samantha had meant what she said, and when Sirius came seeking her out an hour later, she'd already begun trying to work on her essay. She hadn't gotten far, however, and had been happy to have his help. He seemed to concentrate more on her essay than on his own, but after two hours of working, his was the one that was finished and she was still struggling with the last couple of inches. After another hour, both of their essays were finished. Before she'd written anything down, Sirius had made sure she understood what it was she was writing, and though it had taken longer than normal to write the essay, for once she felt confident in what she had written.

"I hope I get credit," Sirius told her after they had finished. "When McGonagall asks you what changed, you'd better tell her you've got the best tutor possible."

Samantha let out a soft laugh. "I'll make sure to mention your name. I don't think it will surprise her; your one of the best in the subject in our year."

Sirius shrugged, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips. "Well, if you say so."

"The rumors are true," Samantha said, faking astonishment. "You are as arrogant as they say."

"Hey, I work hard to be how I am, thank you." He watched her close her Transfiguration book. "Why do you torture yourself with the class? What is it you want to do that makes you keep taking Transfiguration?"

"A healer," she replied, turning to look at him. "I want to be a healer. Unfortunately, Transfiguration is required in order for that to happen."

His eyebrows rose. "A healer? Really?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"It's just that girls like you tend to have no intentions of working one day of their lives."By 'girls like you', she knew he meant girls from pureblood families. "But you don't need the money. Why the determination?"

She shrugged, her gaze dropping down to the table, studying the cover of her Transfiguration textbook. "I just want to make a difference. In the war and outside it. And I'm not exactly auror material. So a healer seemed like the next best option."

Sirius was silent for a long moment before he replied. "I'd never much thought about what I would do after school. Not seriously. But this summer, James and I often spoke of becoming aurors." At the mention of James, his eyes briefly shadowed over. "And the more I thought about it, the more I knew that's what I wanted to do. As an added bonus," his lip tilted into a grin, "my dear old mum will have an absolute fit when she finds out."

Samantha let out a soft laugh. "I imagine that she would. But it sounds like a perfectly fine plan to me. According to Adrien, his training is going well. They push harder than ever nowadays, with such a high need for aurors, but it's what he wanted to do."

"They're getting stronger," Sirius murmured. "With every day that passes their strength increases. Our side is already pressed. It makes you wonder how much more it can take."

She nodded. "But our side has something that they don't. We look out for each other, and stand behind each other, for far more reasons than they would for each other."

"Your family fights, right?" Sirius asked, even though the Order had been a topic for him and James for many late-nights over the summer. "Alongside Dumbledore?" He knew enough to avoid mentioning the Order out loud in the crowded common room. "Do you ever worry?"

"All the time," she whispered. "We've always been close. If I ever lost them….but they're fighting to make a difference. So I have to live with it, and hope for the best."

He did not miss the way her shoulders had stiffened, the way her face had tightened. He wondered what it would be like, to live every second of your life with at least a part of yourself worrying about the safety of your family.

"I'll bet you're the reason they stay safe," he told her softly, causing her gaze to turn to him in surprise. "They may want to help everyone, but the reason they keep fighting, the reason they keep risking their lives, is for you and your brother. They don't want you to have to continue living like they have. They want you to see a better world. So they fight, hoping that one day, you will. It's what makes your parents such good people."

"They're my parents. Of course they'd want me to see a world without a war."

He shook his head. "My parents are not so noble. You're lucky to have your family. They may be risking their lives but….at least they're risking something instead of sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone to fix it or…being for the other side. At least they're trying to fix this mess we've found ourselves in."

"That's what I tell myself every day. To make it through."

He reached for her hand, covering it with his own. He'd never noticed how small her hands were compared to his own, and he squeezed it gently, afraid it was too delicate for his touch. She was surprised when his hand touched hers, but did not flinch away, and he allowed his hand to linger as he spoke.

"We'll make it through this. Everyone. You, me…James. Your family. One day there will be a world without Voldemort and Death Eaters and we'll all be around to witness it. Just wait and see."

As she nodded, giving him a tight smile, he felt the same feeling of eyes boring into him as he had at dinner. He glanced over her head and found James, seated at a table across the common room with Remus and Peter, glaring at him again. That was when he realized his hand was still covering hers and he picked it up, setting it back down in his lap.

"I ought to go to bed," Samantha said after a moment. Her voice sounded normal again, no longer laced with worry, and he could tell she had once again pushed her worry to where it normally rested. "It's getting rather late."

He was startled to realize that it was. He'd gotten completely immersed in the time they'd been doing homework and talking and had lost track of time.

He nodded. "Alright. Next time you start worrying too much, just remember what I told you, alright?"

She gave him a smile. Not the tight smile he had received earlier, but a true smile, one that lit up her face and caused the tiniest of wrinkles to appear beneath her eyes. "I will," she said, standing and gathering her thing. "Happy birthday, Sirius. Don't stay up too late."

"I won't," he said, though they both knew he would not go up to his bed until he knew his friends were asleep. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight."

He watched her as she made her way across the common room before disappearing up the stairs to her room. He did not miss the way James's eyes followed her or the way that she did not even glance at him. Not for the first time, he felt something twist inside him at the thought of his argument with his friends hurting the relationship she and James had.

Lost in his thoughts, he had not noticed the boy approaching him until a shadow had fallen over him. Glancing up, shock jolted through him when he found James standing over him, glaring down his nose at him.

"James," Sirius said when the other boy did not speak, unable to help himself from shifting uncomfortably under his stare.

"You stay away from her," James growled out.

Sirius stiffened, and was unable to stop his jaw from clenching, his eyes from flashing. "Excuse me?" he asked lowly.

When James replied, his voice was dangerous. "Samantha." He clarified, as if he thought Sirius was too thick to know who he meant. "Stay away from her."

Sirius pushed himself up from his chair, meeting James's gaze evenly, his eyes narrowed. "You have absolutely no right telling me who I can and cannot speak to."

"I told you to leave her alone months ago," James ground out. "And I'll not have you hurt her."

"We're only friends," Sirius growled, ignoring the way James snorted at 'friends'. "And I don't intend to hurt her."

James laughed bitterly. "Like the way you didn't intend to hurt Remus?"

Sirius recoiled at James's retort, not having expected his words to be thrown back at him quite in that manner. He remained silent, having nothing to say. James was right; they both knew that. But Sirius would be damned if he allowed himself to slip up that way again, towards Samantha or anyone else. But saying this to James would fall on deaf ears, so he did not speak.

James took his silence as resignation and nodded. He leaned closer to Sirius, his hazel eyes hard. "Stay away from her," he repeated lowly, voice sharp, a warning treading at its edges. He glared at Sirius a moment longer and then he was suddenly gone, returning to the table he was sharing with Remus and Peter, who had spent the entire conversation trying not to openly stare.

Sirius glared after him, working his jaw angrily for a long moment before turning to the table and gathering his things. He stormed up the stairs to his room, throwing his books into his trunk before climbing into his bed and roughly pulling his curtains around the bed. He tried to never go up to the room until they had gone to bed, but tonight he would make an exception. The common room had suddenly become far too crowded. And they would not bother him with his curtains drawn. Of that he was certain.

* * *

Sirius had no intentions of listening to anything James had said as he sat in the Great Hall the next morning, piling eggs and bacon onto his plate. But when Samantha walked by with Lily and Amber and gave him a smile- she would be eating with them this morning- he found it difficult to return it. James's words had made him begin to worry that, even if he had no intentions of doing so, he would somehow hurt Samantha. His temper was notorious, after all, and it did not take much to set it off. What if she just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time?

He risked glancing down the table to see James watching, a satisfied smirk on his face. So he had noticed the exchange. Clenching his jaw, Sirius turned his attention back to his food. He would not change anything, and he would not allow his temper to get the better of him. He would not allow James to scare him from the only person who seemed willing to talk to him these days.

Their day began apart: Samantha in Herbology and Sirius in Muggle Studies. But they came together again in Charms, and, making a point to not look anywhere near James, Sirius sat himself beside Samantha as usual. He could feel James's hard glare burning into the back of his head, but he ignored it as Samantha turned and struck up a conversation with him until Professor Flitwick started class.

Sirius fought to ignore James's glare throughout class. By the time class was over and it was time to head to the next class, Transfiguration, Sirius felt suffocated. Where he would have normally walked with Samantha, Lily, and Amber, he told Samantha to go on ahead and hung back until the classroom had emptied, looking away when James strode by so he did not have to see the anger on his face.

Once his former friends had cleared the doorway, he stood and gathered his things before making his way to the Transfiguration classroom. He needed just a moment to himself to catch his breath.

When they reached the Transfiguration classroom, Samantha broke away from Lily and Amber to head to the table she shared with Sirius. There were still a few minutes until class started, so after she had slid into her seat, she pulled out the Transfiguration essay Sirius had helped her with the night before, reading it over one last time.

The sudden sound of books slamming onto the table made her jump and she looked up, expecting to see Sirius, only to be surprised to see James standing there instead. He wasn't looking at her, however. His eyes were set into a piercing glare and focused at the front of the room. She followed his gaze to find Sirius standing just inside the door. He looked as if he had stopped mid-stride and he heatedly returned James's glare. Samantha's gaze shifted between the two as the tension continued to build. Finally, Sirius broke James's gaze and strode to the table Amber and Lily were occupying at the front of the room, dropping into the seat beside Lily. The two girls had noticed the exchange and Lily leaned over to say something to Sirius, but he only shook his head as he pulled out his essay.

Samantha's attention turned to James, but as he dropped into the chair beside her, his gaze remained firmly glued to the front of the room. Samantha clenched her jaw and was about to ask him what he thought he was doing when McGonagall strode into the room and called for everyone's attention. With a wave of her wand, she collected everyone's essay and then she dove into a lecture on animagi, and Samantha was glad that today would be one of the rare days McGonagall lectured for the whole class.

James sat in tense silence throughout the entire class, never once taking his eyes off of McGonagall. When the bell finally rang to announce the end of class and the start of lunch, James was immediately out of his seat and headed towards the door. As everyone began to file out, Samantha stood slower and gathered her things. Glancing up, she caught Sirius's gaze for just a moment before he broke it and strode out of the room. She sighed and met up with Lily and Amber, who had hung back to wait for her.

"What was that all about?" Lily asked, shooting Samantha a confused look.

Samantha shook her head. "I have no idea."

"Do you think something happened between them that you missed?" Questioned Amber as they filed out of the room. Down the corridor, James was standing with Remus and Peter. The three boys were laughing at something Peter had said.

"I don't know," Samantha said as she watched them. "But I'm going to go find out. I'll see the two of you at lunch, alright?"

As Samantha strode up to the three boys, she heard James say, "Your gray hairs are multiplying, Moony."

Remus swatted James's hand away from where he was reaching for his hair with an irritated look on his face. "I haven't got grey hairs," Remus snapped, causing James and Peter to start laughing.

"James."

Still laughing, James glanced up when Samantha said his name. He had no chance to react when she grabbed hold of his wrist and began to drag him down the corridor. He stumbled behind her, shouting out protests. Ignoring him, she turned a corner and strode down the deserted corridor a little ways before finally releasing his wrist and turning to face him.

"Bloody hell," James muttered, rubbing his wrist. He looked up at Samantha, his eyes narrowed. "Have you gone mental?"

"What the hell was that you just pulled in class?" she asked him angrily, ignoring his question.

"I don't want you talking to Sirius," James told her. "You can't trust him."

"Can't trust him? He's you're _friend_."

"Was," James said bitterly. "He was my friend."

Samantha crossed her arms over her chest. "So now that he's not your friend, he can't be mine either?"

"Don't make me sound like such a prat."

"That's how you're acting."

James sighed, glancing to his right briefly before turning back to look at her. "Stop talking to him and I'll stop acting like one."

"No you won't," she snapped. "You've been acting like a prat for nearly a month now."

"There are circumstances that you wouldn't understand," he replied.

"Maybe I would understand," she shot back. "He betrayed your trust but he's sorry for it. What I don't understand is why you won't give him another chance."

James's eyes narrowed. "What did he tell you?" When she did not reply, he grabbed hold of her arms and shook her. "What did he tell you?" he shouted.

"Nothing," she yelled back at him, ripping herself out of his grasp. "He won't tell me anything! Do you know why, James? Because even after he messed up, after the three of you won't talk to him, he still won't betray you anymore. Even after he's slipped up once, he won't do so again. That should be enough."

"Well, it's not. Don't pretend like you understand anything."

"I understand that you're asking me to stop speaking to him. Before I began spending time with him he wasn't eating, he wasn't going to class. I don't care what he did to the three of you; you can't want his entire life ruined over it."

"I honestly wouldn't have cared. He nearly ruined someone else's life; it's the perfect punishment."

She shook her head at him. "I didn't know you could be so heartless, James. I'll talk to whomever I want, and one day you'll thank me for being there for him. But until you get over yourself and stop acting like such an arse, don't talk to me. Just…leave the two of us alone."

James clenched his jaw and moved his gaze away from her, unable to look her in the eyes. She glared up at him a moment longer before roughly brushing past him and striding down the corridor. When she reached the end, she turned toward the Great Hall, pointedly avoiding looking at Remus and Peter, who she was sure had heard nearly every word.

James stood rooted to the spot, clenching and unclenching his jaw. He was unable to move for several minutes.

"Damn it!" he eventually roared, spinning on his feet and storming down the corridor.

"James?" Remus questioned carefully when the other boy did not speak. "Are you alright?"

James shook his head furiously. "I'll see you in Potions," he muttered, already beginning to make his way towards Gryffindor Tower. "I'm not hungry anymore."

* * *

"Perhaps you ought to apologize."

"It won't make a difference. Once she's made up her mind, it stays that way."

"But it couldn't possibly hurt anything."

James shook his head, but did not reply. Remus, who was lounging on his bed with a book in his lap, continued to watch the other boy pace the length of their room, as he had been for the past ten minutes. James had been tense for the remainder of the day, but he hadn't so much as glanced at Samantha and Sirius. Once dinner was over, he finally escaped up to his room, away from other's eyes. Peter had gone to the library to work on homework, but Remus had followed James, hoping to calm him down.

Silence stretched between the two boys. Eventually James drew to a stop before the foot of Remus's bed, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Do you know when the last time the two of us argued was? I mean, seriously argued." Remus shook his head even though he knew James didn't really expect an answer. "It was our third year. Remember how the two of us went home for Easter? Well, it was because her grandfather, Caleb Dawson, was killed."

"I've heard that name before."

"I'm not surprised," James replied. "He was a huge advocate for werewolf rights. He's the one who you can thank for not having to be branded for being a werewolf. When the ministry began to consider making that a law, he fought it every step of the way until they allowed the issue to drop."

Remus nodded. "I remember that; I was seven. Mum and dad never told me about it, thought I was too young, but I'd hear them whispering at night when they thought I'd gone to bed."

"Yeah, you very nearly had to have a number tattooed on your wrist, mate. Anyway, the two of us went home for his funeral."

"Don't tell me you started an argument at the funeral, Prongs," Remus said in an exasperated voice.

James shot him an offended look. "I most certainly did not. It was _after_ the funeral." He ignored the way Remus's eyes briefly glanced up at the ceiling. "There were so many people gathered at the house, she was beginning to feel smothered, so I took her outside and we sat in the garden. We got to talking and eventually, she told me of her intentions to join the Order."

Remus expected him to continue, for him to tell him about the argument, but when James remained silent and stared at him expectantly, he realized that this was as far as James was going with the story. He was not sure what to say.

"How…terrible of her?"

"Yes," James exploded. "We were only thirteen; we were just kids. We shouldn't have even been discussing it. Her grandfather had just been killed. _Killed_, Remus. Because of who he was, because of the name he had created for himself, because he was part of the Order. She already has one of those going for her, being born into that family. Does she even realize how dangerous the Order is?"

Remus did not miss James's use of the present tense. With the way he talked of joining the Order with Samantha, he would have them believe that he had come to accept her decision since she shared it with him nearly four years ago. But with the way he spoke, with the way his voice had grown louder and louder, Remus realized that James had not come to accept it, and that he worried a lot more than any of them had realized.

"All of her family is involved, even Adrien now. It's understandable that she wishes to follow their lead."

James deflated before his eyes. "I know. I've always known that she would strive to live up to her family's name. But hearing her admit it out loud, especially right after her grandfather died, it was a wakeup call that we were growing up fast, that we'd be done with school before we knew it. I wasn't ready to face it. Hell, I'm still not ready."

Remus gave him a small smile. "It's a good thing that you have the rest of this year and next year to prepare yourself."

James sighed heavily and stepped to the side as if he were about to begin pacing again.

"What happened when she told you that?"

James paused and glanced back at him. "I went off on her. Told her she was mental to be planning to risk her life like that so young. You know her; she didn't just sit there and allow me to yell at her without putting in her piece. The raised voices attracted Adrien's attention and he came out and got us to calm down. He wasn't pleased that I'd been yelling at his sister. She didn't seem to appreciate that he was siding with her, though. She stormed off and we didn't talk for days. For awhile, we were careful to avoid the subject but now, as you know, it's often a topic of discussion between us."

"It seems to me," Remus mused, "That whenever the two of you argue like this, you're being protective of her."

Surprise crossed James's face, followed by thoughtfulness, then finally, a nod. "I suppose. But I can't help it. She's every bit my sister as she is Adrien's."

"Besides blood?" Remus pointed out with a hint of a smile.

James snorted. "We're purebloods. We share blood somewhere down the line."

"You know what I mean," Remus replied. "But perhaps this is the problem? That she doesn't need as much looking after as you think. She's a smart girl; she's perfectly capable of making her own decisions. You ought to just let her do what she wants, even if it worries you."

"She allows her emotions to control her," James argued. "And I tried leaving her be once. I never liked her relationship with Oliver. Or I should say I never liked Oliver. But he made her happy so I kept my mouth shut. And that turned out splendidly."

Remus nodded. He remembered that night, nearly a year ago, well. How James hadn't been seen for hours, how he suddenly stormed into their room long after curfew, how he'd raged for hours about Oliver McCalman. He'd never told them the full story; it was not their business. But they'd helped him get revenge on Oliver the next evening at dinner, and had served detention for it later. It had been worth it for the look on Oliver's face and for the satisfied smirk James had worn the rest of the week.

James sighed heavily and retreated to his bed, falling forward onto it, planting his face in his pillow.

"Why does she have to be so stubborn?"

Remus smiled and dropped his gaze back down to his book. "You love her anyway."

"I do," James grumbled, voice muffled. "It's a curse, I tell you."

Silence filled the room for a long moment before Remus spoke again. "It will pass," he said softly. "Give her time. She loves you, James. She'll come around."

Against his pillow, James nodded, and the room remained silent for a long time.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	9. Chapter Nine

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**An unusually quick update. I've been rather inspired lately and was able to get several scenes out. The inspiration seems to have dwindled now, though, so I can't promise (and likely won't) keep up this update pace. I'm only taking one summer class now, and it started today, but it only lasts three weeks so it won't take up too much of my time.**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Nine

Sirius did not have to be very observant to notice the change between Samantha and James. The absence of James's fierce glares was obvious, and he did not miss the way James would watch Samantha when she was not looking or the way she would glance at him when his attention was elsewhere. He could not remember a time when the two of them were not on speaking terms. He did not know what had transpired between them -though he was tempted to question Samantha about it, he knew it was not his business and did not bring it up- but he knew that it had only happened because of what he had done nearly a month ago, and he hated himself for it. She was upset about it, he knew, but she tried her best to hide it. He pretended he didn't notice.

A week into October found the two of them seated together in the common room. Dinner was long over, and though they had started off doing homework, they had eventually put their books away and started up a game of Wizard's Chess. Sirius wasn't sure if you could even call it a game. Samantha was such a sorry player that he had given up trying to play against her and instead was instructing her in how to beat him, hoping it would teach her a thing or two about playing.

"I can't believe that you're this bad," Sirius told her after he beat her again, despite his instruction. "I would have thought you'd played this quite a bit."

"Adrien and I play fairly often," she replied, looking none too bothered about the fact that she'd lost again or that Sirius was smirking at her. "But he loves winning too much to bother himself with trying to actually teach me."

Sirius shook his head and prepared the board so that they could play again. "Well, if you'll actually put effort into learning, maybe you'll surprise him at Christmas and win a game for once."

Samantha scowled. "If I wanted to waste my time learning how to play I would have done it a long time ago."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Humor me. Just think about what move you want to make, but before you tell the pieces to move, run it by me."

"Fine," she sighed, causing him to give her a smile.

They played a few more games this way, and Sirius was surprised that she was rather decent at the game if she tried hard enough. The third game they played, she nearly beat him, though that was only because he hadn't been paying close enough attention to his own pieces.

She grinned broadly at him when she nearly won, and not for the first time, he thought about how much he loved it when she smiled at him.

"You see?" he told her. "If you put your mind to it, you're decent enough. And you can improve."

"No one's really bothered to teach me," she admitted. "As I said, Adrien likes beating my arse too much, and James isn't much better. He'd explain things here and there, but gave up rather quickly."

"What about your father?" Sirius questioned. "He seems like the type to excel at this. And he certainly seems like a patient enough man."

"Sure," she shrugged, her grin thinning into a small smile. "But he's so busy; it's a rare thing to see him sitting down for a game of chess." She shook her head. "What about you?"

"Well, it really just seems to come naturally to me. But my father taught me, when I was younger," he admitted. "On Sunday afternoons, he liked to settle into the library to play a few games. More often than not, my uncle Ignatius, married my father's sister, would come join him. When I was old enough, they taught me how to play. But they only taught me the concept. My Uncle Alphard, he taught me how to think through each move, how to win."

She cocked her head to the side, studying him curiously. "This Uncle Alphard. He's special to you?"

Sirius furrowed his brow. "Yes, I suppose. But how did you…?"

She smiled softly at him. "When you speak of your family, your eyes darken. Your face tenses; you look bitter. You did it when you spoke of your father and other uncle. But when you spoke of your Uncle Alphard, your face softened. I take it he's different?"

"Yeah," Sirius replied quietly. "Yeah, he is. He doesn't necessarily have different views from the family. And he certainly hasn't gone against the family; he would have been blasted from the tree as soon as he did. Mum's just waiting for an excuse though." Sirius paused for a moment with a sigh. "Blood purity isn't important to him and he feels we should have the freedom to believe what we want. He's never disagreed with my mum, he does avoid being blasted, but when my views began to change, he supported me. He's the reason I was strong enough to stand up to my parents and their beliefs. And he's the only one who still sees me as part of the family, no matter that I've been blasted from the tree."

He watched Samantha's face as he talked. He wasn't sure why he was telling her all of this, but it was nice to have someone willing to listen. She seemed intrigued that there was still a Black that supported him.

"We're not exactly close," he admitted. "But I was always closest with him. Not three days after I'd moved in with the Potters, I got a letter from him congratulating me on my freedom. They're the only family he's got; I at least have James. I think that's part of the reason he keeps himself from speaking his mind. He does care for my mother."

"Your family just continues to sound more and more confusing," Samantha told him.

He laughed. "You don't know the half of it. But your family is Pureblood. I'll bet it's just as confusing."

"My family? Confusing? Not us; we're as simple as they come."

He snorted. "'Pureblood' and 'simple' don't go together. I don't care who you are."

"Perhaps not," she agreed. "But compared to your family, I think they go together perfectly fine."

He snorted, and ordered his pawn to e4 to start yet another game of chess between them. "I'm forced to agree with you."

"Sirius."

Sirius started at the voice that came from above them and glanced up to find James standing over them. Across from him, Samantha kept her gaze firmly glued to her hands, which were folded in her lap.

"I just," James fidgeted uncomfortably, "Wanted to let you know that practice starts tomorrow night after dinner."

Sirius stared at him, taken aback. He'd assumed that, like the tryouts, he would have been told by Mason. He cleared his throat, straightening up a bit in his chair. "Alright," he said with a nod. "I'll be there."

James nodded. His gaze shifted to Samantha and looked as if he was about to speak, but changed his mind at the last moment. He turned to leave, and glanced at Sirius out of the corner of his eye.

"You're wasting your time," he told him. "She's always been a sorry chess player."

Sirius did not miss the way Samantha's gaze watched his back as he walked away.

"That was…"

Samantha gave him a small smile. "Shocking?" she supplied.

"Yeah. You could say that. He spoke to me willingly. I was certain Mason would be telling me when practice was to begin."

"He's starting to cool off," she told him. "Perhaps you ought to try talking to them. You might be surprised."

Sirius shrugged. "I dunno about that. I don't think Remus will be willing to listen to me anytime soon."

"You'll never know until you try," she told him softly, her blue eyes peering at him beneath her eyelashes.

His eyes watched her carefully, and just because the words had come from her mouth, he desperately wanted to believe them.

"I'll talk to them," Sirius eventually said quietly. "Not yet. I'm not ready yet. But soon."

She nodded, smiled. "I'm off to bed." She reached out, her hand resting on his arm. "I think it's going to be okay."

As he watched her leave, he tried to ignore the way his arm burned where her skin had touched his own.

* * *

"Has Sirius talked to them yet?" Amber's voice called from the bathroom where she was preparing for a night to be spent with a boy from Ravenclaw. Samantha had told her how it seemed as if James had lost his attitude towards Sirius, and how she had suggested that Sirius should try to talk to them.

She was seated cross-legged on her bed, bent over a book she had borrowed from Lily. It was Friday, and she had chosen to take the night off from homework.

"No," she called back. "He says he's waiting for the right moment. I think he's just stalling. Not that I blame him, but he'd be better off getting it over with."

It had been over a week since James had come to tell Sirius about practice. She'd pestered Sirius several times since then to try and talk to them, but every time, he brushed the subject aside. He claimed that he wanted to speak to Remus alone but had yet to get an opportunity. It certainly was at least partially true; she very rarely saw Remus alone.

Amber emerged from the bathroom, adjusting her robes. "You can't rush these things," she pointed out. "He'll go to them when he's ready. Things are certainly look up, at least."

Samantha nodded. "I know. I've just spent so much time watching him be miserable. I want to see him with his friends again."

"Try not to worry about it too much," Amber told her as she pulled her shoes on. "He'll do it when he's ready. I've got to run. Braeden will be waiting for me."

Samantha smiled down at her book. "Try not to have too much fun," she said as Amber disappeared from the room, waving her hand as she slipped through the door.

Once Amber was gone, Samantha sighed and leaned back against the headboard, drawing her knees up and resting her book on them. She pushed all thoughts of Sirius and his friends from her mind and allowed herself to become immersed in her book. Tonight, she wanted to relax.

She wasn't able to be alone for long, unfortunately. Not ten minutes after Amber had left, she heard the voices of Courtney and Morgan coming up the staircase. A moment later, the door opened and their talking broke off.

"Oh," Courtney said as they stepped into the room. "We were hoping to be alone."

Samantha scowled at the pages of her book. "So was I," she muttered.

"What was that?" Courtney asked with a sneer. "You'll have to stop mumbling."

Samantha's eyes darkened, but she did not reply.

"Don't be so rude, Courtney," Morgan scolded the other girl. The tone of her voice gave away that she did not truly mean it. "I have a few questions for Samantha. I wouldn't want her to be difficult in giving her answers."

Morgan moved further into the room, making her way to Samantha's bed. The dark-haired girl sunk onto the foot of the bed, her brown eyes on Samantha. Samantha eyed the girl distrustfully, wondering, not for the first time, what she could have possibly done to deserve having to live with these two girls for the past six years.

"I'd like to have a little chat," Morgan told her.

"And I'd like to be reading my book in peace. Looks like neither of us are getting what we want."

Morgan's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're not fooling anyone, Samantha. Who do you think you are? Sirius hasn't so much as given me the time of day since the second week of school and yet you, who claimed you want nothing to do with him just last spring, spend every waking hour with him."

"We're friends, though I suppose you didn't know it was possible to be only friends with a boy, especially one like Sirius Black. But I assure you, it is possible."

"Oh, please. Come on, Samantha. It's just us here; Sirius isn't going to hear anything you say. So why don't you just admit it?"

Samantha rolled her eyes and slammed her book closed, swinging her legs off of the bed. "There's nothing to admit. I'm sorry he's grown tired of you, but perhaps you should get a life and move on."

She strode from the room with the heat of Morgan and Courtney's glares on the back of her neck. In the common room, she sighed heavily as she sank into a chair. She'd been hoping to avoid the noisy common room for the night, but even the loud chatter of the first years was better company than Morgan and Courtney.

She flipped through the pages of her book, locating the place she had been before she'd been interrupted. This time it couldn't have been five minutes before she was interrupted.

"What's wrong with you?"

Samantha glanced up as Lily seated herself in the chair across from her, likely just having returned from patrolling the corridors. Apparently, her irritation was still showing on her face.

"I was trying to enjoy a quiet evening up in our room when a couple of annoyances decided to interrupt my party."

"How surprising," Lily replied dryly. "What did they want?"

Samantha shook her head. "Morgan was practically accusing me of stealing Sirius away from her. Can you believe it? She can't grasp the concept of girls and guys only being friends."

"Well," Lily shifted in her seat. "You do know there have been rumors, don't you?"

"What rumors? What are you talking about?"

"Sam, Sirius used to spend nearly every night with either Morgan or another girl. When he suddenly stopped, he started spending all of his time with you. He doesn't even spend time with his friends anymore." When Samantha opened her mouth to argue, Lily held up her hand to keep her quiet. "I know the circumstances. Amber knows the circumstances. But look at it from an outsider's perspective. Don't you think it looks a little like you and Sirius are together?"

"That…that's ridiculous!" Samantha spluttered.

"I know. But it is what it looks like to someone who doesn't know the circumstances. And a girl like Morgan is bound to be jealous about how much time you're spending with him. Especially since it's time he used to spend with her."

"I still think it's ridiculous," Samantha muttered. "Besides, if I have it my way, he'll be back on speaking terms with his friends soon."

"Do you really think it's possible? They've been so cold to each other I'd begun to think they'd never speak to each other again."

Samantha shrugged. "I know James. For him to seek Sirius out like that, even for something as simple as telling him when practice is, it means he's starting to want to move past whatever's happened between them. He hasn't forgotten it; it'll still take a lot of work on Sirius's part, but he's tired of the way things are and he misses his friend."

"As happy as I am that it looks like this might clear up, you do realize what this means, don't you?"

At Samantha's questioning look, Lily continued, and her reply caused Samantha to smile.

"Potter's going to become intolerable again."

* * *

"Do they not understand that we like to do more things with our time than schoolwork? I mean, we get up, we go to classes all day, and when we're finally free, we have to spend our entire evening doing work they assigned for next class, then we get to go to bed and repeat it the next day."

"Perhaps they think the reason you're in school is to learn."

Sirius scowled at her. "Of course I'm here to learn. But that doesn't mean I have to spend every bloody minute of my day doing it. Don't pretend like you don't hate it."

"Of course I hate it," Samantha replied. "But I also know that complaining about it isn't going to change anything. Besides, at least you have quidditch to release tension."

Sirius snorted. "Quidditch only gives me less time for homework. There's a reason I was against James being made captain. He's worse than your brother was."

"At least you'll win?"

"We'd better or I'm filing a complaint."

She giggled at him, looking down and shuffling through the parchment in front of her. "I think the only thing left to do is the Defense essay that's due tomorrow. I'm nearly done so I just need to finish. How far have you gotten?  
Sirius shifted in his seat, muttering something under his breath. Samantha raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry; what was that?"

"I haven't started," he grumbled.

"Sirius," she admonished. "It's due tomorrow."

"I know. I was going to start this weekend but I couldn't bring myself to. I needed a break."

She sighed, pulling out her essay. "I'll help you. We'll get it done in no time."

He nodded. "Alright, alright. I left my book up in the room; I'll be right back."

There was no way he was going to admit to her that he had completely forgotten about the essay not five minutes after Professor Levesque, this year's Defense professor, had assigned it.

Even though he and James had reached some sort of mutualism through quidditch, he still avoided his room when his friends were in it. Luckily, he'd seen James and Peter leave the common room not too long ago and since the three were very rarely apart, he assumed Remus was with them. His assumption was wrong, however. It wasn't until Sirius had rushed into the room, grabbed his book out of his trunk, and turned back towards the door that he noticed he was not alone in the room after all. Remus was seated on his bed, Arithmancy textbook opened in his lap, though his attention was no longer on his book. His gaze was now on Sirius, who was now frozen where he stood. Tension filled the air, making it hard for Sirius to breathe. Neither moved as they stared at each other. Remus's face was blank, unreadable, and Sirius was sure that his, in contrast, was beginning to fill with panic. Merlin, he wasn't ready for this.

They hadn't been alone even relatively close to each other since the night that Sirius had screwed up. He'd known that Samantha was right whenever she'd tried to get him to talk to his friends, but he'd kept putting it off, claiming that he wanted to speak to Remus alone, even though he knew that that would be nearly impossible. Now that he did have Remus alone, and in the privacy of their own room, he knew there would be no more putting it off. Even now he refused to think about the fact that he had been putting off because he was so scared of the outcome.

Steeling himself, Sirius forced himself to speak as it was becoming increasingly obvious that Remus had no intentions of speaking first.

"How…how have you been?"

Inwardly, Sirius flinched. He hadn't meant for his voice to come out so uncertain, but he knew he was treading dangerous waters. There had yet to be a finality to what had happened back in September, and he knew that this could be the moment where he lost his friends forever.

Remus cleared his throat and glanced down for a moment before he answered.

"I've been better."

This time, Sirius visibly flinched. Remus's voice was distant, so unlike the friendly tone he had grown used to over the years.

"How was the full moon last week?" Sirius asked, his voice slightly more confident than the last time he'd spoken.

"Better than the last one," was Remus's quick reply.

Sirius closed his eyes. He should have seen that answer coming. Reopening his eyes, he made himself meet Remus's hard gaze steadily.

"Remus, please listen. What happened that night…Snape was saying all sorts of things and I just lost my temper with him. I wasn't thinking."

Remus closed his Arithmancy book with a snap, pushing himself to his feet.

"Y'know, Sirius, that's the problem. You _never _think. All that ever seems to run through your mind is how you're going to get Snape the next time he happens to be in your sight. And if he happens to retaliate, nothing else is important until you've gotten him back. That night was just another prank to you. But you didn't think. You didn't think about how Snape could have been seriously injured or _killed_. By me! You didn't think about what would have happened to me, something far out of my control, if that had happened. You did not think about what consequences would come from your own selfish reasoning."

Remus paused then, silently glaring at Sirius. Remus's normally calm voice had rose steadily to levels Sirius rarely heard it reach. At this point, Sirius was wishing he could just sink into the floor. Not for the first time, he desperately wanted to turn back time, stop himself from talking to Snape, anything to get things back to the way they were before.

"I know. I messed up. I didn't think things through at all, didn't think about what would happen," Sirius admitted quietly. "I wish I could just take it all back."

"Well, that's not possible, is it?"

"No," Sirius looked to the ground. "It's not."

"I trusted you, Sirius. When you and James and Peter found out my secret, I was terrified that I would be abandoned again. Because that's what always happened whenever someone found out. But the three of you didn't. If anything, it strengthened our friendship. You told me that it didn't matter to you. The three of you risked _a lot_ to become animagi. You promised me, gave me my word, that I could trust you, that my secret was your secret. And in one night, you did something worse that even abandoning me would have been. You betrayed my trust, threw it all back in my face. And for what? To get payback for something Snape said to you?" Remus shook his head. "I thought you were better than that, Sirius."

Sirius was no longer able to look him in the eye. His gaze was glued to his feet as he shuffled them across the floor.

"I know I messed up," he said softly, his voice hardly more than a whisper. "I've been regretting it for over a month now. I know I can't make this go away. I deserve for you to never speak to me again." With difficulty, he brought his gaze up to meet Remus's eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. If there was one thing I could ever take back, if there was one thing in my life I could ever change, this would be it."

Remus regarded Sirius closely. He would be lying to himself it he said he hadn't missed Sirius. He'd always been just a little closer to Sirius than to James or Peter. If he ever needed someone to confide in, it was always Sirius he sought out first. It was always Sirius who would notice first if something was wrong. Remus had been watching Sirius for the last several weeks. It hadn't gotten past his attention that he hadn't been sleeping, nor had he missed the first few weeks when Sirius had not been eating or going to classes. And despite himself, Remus had been worried for him.

And for Sirius to tell him that _this_ was the one thing in his life he would change…Remus knew there were several things Sirius wished were different in his life. But right now, all he cared about was fixing things. Sirius needed his friends.

"Look," Remus finally said. "I know you're sorry. It's been becoming more and more obvious. We…we all make mistakes in our lives. You're nowhere near having my trust back but…I forgive you, Sirius."

Sirius jerked his gaze to Remus's, shocked. He had just wanted to make it clear to Remus how sorry he was. He hadn't expected Remus to accept the apology. His body relaxed as he released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. It felt as if a huge burden had been lifted. One that had been on his shoulders since September.

"Thank you."

The door opened then, and James and Peter entered the room, laughing over something that James had said. When their gazes fell on Remus and Sirius, they froze and their gazes turned guarded. James was still as he moved forward a couple of steps, but the mutualism he and Sirius had reached through quidditch kept the glare off of his face.

"What are you doing here?"

James may have cooled off a bit towards him, but he was still protective of Remus, and with Sirius so close to him, he was on his guard.

"James," Remus said before Sirius could come up with a reply. "It's alright."

James's gaze swiveled to Remus. "Alright?" he repeated, his brow furrowing.

Remus sighed deeply. "I've forgiven him, James."

"Forgiven?" James echoed as if he had never before heard the word. He glanced back at Peter, who seemed just as surprised at these turn of events.

"He's sorry, James. He's suffered long enough. It's time to leave this behind us."

James stared at Remus a moment longer before shifting his gaze back to Sirius. He seemed to be sizing the boy up, considering Remus's words.

"You've lost our trust," he finally said. "It'll have to be earned back."

Sirius nodded, swallowed. "I know."

"Right," James said, nodding to himself and moving towards his bed. "Right. So what did you guys think of that Defense essay?" he questioned as he dropped onto his bed.

"I've already finished it," Remus replied, seating himself back on his bed, replacing his Arithmancy book in his lap, flipping through to find the page he had been on.

Peter shook his head at Remus. "I've had a hard time with it." Defense Against the Dark Arts was not Peter's best subject.

"I'll read it over, if you'd like," Remus offered, to which Peter nodded gratefully as he moved to his things to locate the essay.

"I've got to finish mine," James said from where he had begun to recline on his bed, his arms folded behind his head. "But I'm nearly done. I'll just makes stuff up if I have to."

Remus shook his head. "That's not the way to do an essay, Prongs."

James shrugged. "It's always worked in the past."

It took Sirius a moment to register the fact that their gazes were on him now, waiting for his input. He was still in shock and felt like this was not truly happening, and he was slow to speak.

"I haven't started it yet," Sirius finally replied with a shrug, immediately earning a frown from Remus.

"Haven't started? But it's due tomorrow," Remus said in disbelief.

"Merlin, Padfoot. Way to leave it to the last minute," James chimed in, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

"Even I'd started," Peter pointed out.

"I'm supposed to be working on it now," Sirius said in his defense, crossing his arms over his chest. "I came up here to grab my book." He waved said book in the air to emphasize this fact. "Samantha's going to help me. She wasn't happy either when she found out I hadn't started yet."

"Is there something going on between the two of you?" Peter asked from where he had stationed himself beside Remus, who now had Peter's essay in front of him. "You've been spending an awful lot of time together."

"No," Sirius replied. "There's not. And even if there were, you wouldn't hear about it."

"Does that mean you want something to be going on?" Remus asked, his gaze looking back up to Sirius.

"No, it does not. It means exactly what it sounds like. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an essay to write. She probably thinks the three of you have murdered me by now." Sirius had not missed the way James's eyes had shadowed over, or how silent he had become, when the conversation had turned to Samantha.

"You don't have to lie to us," Peter called after him as Sirius headed down the stairs to the common room, pointedly ignoring Peter's last comment.

When Sirius entered the common room, he looked over to the table he and Samantha had been occupying. He wouldn't have been surprised if she had given up on him by this point, but she was still there, bent over her essay. She looked up when he sat down across from her, her eyes questioning. Sirius was unable to help the large grin that split his face, and she gave him a large smile in return.

"I told you," she said in a sing-song voice before turning her attention back to her essay.

She had told him, and now he was glad that he had faced his fears, even if it seemed fate had thrown him into the situation. For a moment, he had been tempted to run from the room, but he knew that if he did, he would always regret it. And now, after over a month, it was all over, and as he watched Samantha work across from him, he felt as if he couldn't be any happier.

* * *

"It's as if nothing ever happened between them," Amber said, sucking the tip of a sugar quill as she watched the four marauders laughing loudly across the common room. "I'm glad that they've finally kissed and made up."

"But it was a whole lot quieter when they weren't speaking," Lily pointed out as she attempted to block out the noise the boys were making as she tried to do homework.

Samantha looked up from where she was seated sideways in an armchair, her legs thrown over the arms with the Daily Prophet in her lap. She scoured the newspaper everyday for the latest news, especially to do with the war, and to see if there was anything that had happened that her parents may be trying to keep from her. "You're just bitter because James being in a good mood again means he'll start declaring his love for you again."

Lily grimaced. "Again? He did it just this morning. Bloody toasted our future love with his goblet of pumpkin juice."

"Speaking of James," Amber said after she had finished laughing at the memory of that morning, how James had looked so proud of himself and how Lily's face had turned red enough to match the strawberries on her plate, "Have the two of you made up yet?" Her gaze was on Samantha now.

"No," Samantha replied, dropping her gaze back down to the Daily Prophet and not offering them any more information.

Lily looked as if she wanted to say something, but she and Amber exchanged glances and she decided to keep quiet.

"You and Sirius aren't hanging around each other nearly as much as you were before," Amber said, changing the subject and trying to fill the uncomfortable silence that had fallen.

Samantha shrugged. "He's got his friends back. And he still sits with me in Transfiguration."

"Yeah, but the two of you were together nearly all the time before. Don't you miss him?"

Samantha raised an eyebrow. "It's hard to miss him when he's right over there," she said, nodding towards the four boys, who had grown more quiet and had their heads bowed closely together, never a good sign.

Amber sighed loudly, giving Samantha her most exasperated look. "But the two of you had grown…close. Don't tell me you don't _miss_ him."

Samantha finally caught on. "Oh, Merlin, not this again," she muttered. "We're friends, Amber. Nothing more. I would think now, especially, it would be more apparent. Now that he's got his friends back, there's no need for us to spend every moment together. I was only trying to help him. He's a social person; he needed a friend. Can we just drop it?"

"Alright," Amber surrendered. "Fine. I suppose you're right; nothing can be going on between the two of you if you don't spend near as much time together as you were."

"Morgan's been looking smug lately," Lily spoke up.

"Of course she has," Samantha replied. "She reckons now that Sirius is back to his normal self, it's only a matter of time before he comes calling."

"It's been nearly a week and he hasn't yet," Amber pointed out. "A bit unusual if you ask me."

"He hasn't yet that we know of," Lily argued.

"Oh, but I've seen the look Morgan will shoot him every now and then. He hasn't had anything to do with her yet; I'm sure of it."

"May I ask why this is suddenly a topic worth discussing?" Samantha asked.

"It's excellent gossip."

"Well, I for one, don't like to chat about Morgan. So why don't we find something else to talk about."

"I have something," Lily said. "Who was that boy I caught you out with after hours last night?" She asked, giving Amber a curious look.

Amber smiled. "That was Braeden. Braeden Denman. He's a seventh year Ravenclaw."

"I caught the two of them in a broom cupboard," Lily told Samantha.

"Isn't he something?"

"You'll feel differently in another week when someone else comes along," Samantha said. Amber smiled in reply and Lily giggled.

* * *

The owlery was cold and drafty as Samantha tied a letter to her parents onto the leg of a large barn owl. They had written her a few days ago and she had finally gotten around to writing them back. The owl took flight and she watched is slowly disappear. Wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to keep warm in the chilly air, she moved to one of the large windows to watch the sunset. She was putting off returning to the common room, where a pile of homework awaited her.

Footsteps told her that someone else had entered the owlery, but she kept her gaze out the window.

"Hey."

Samantha sighed at James's voice. They still hadn't spoken since their argument nearly a month ago.

"Hey," she replied softly, hesitantly turning slightly to glance at him.

James gave her a small, tentative smile, holding up a letter. "Mum tends to fuss if I don't send her regular letters so she knows that I'm still alive."

Samantha was well aware of this, but he was struggling to fill the awkward silence around them. He absolutely hated when things were like this between them. He'd noticed her writing a letter earlier that day and had timed it deliberately, watching for when she went to the owlery, giving her a bit of time before following. Things with Sirius were going back to normal; he wanted to fix this as well.

She offered him no reply, turning back to the window. James turned to an owl, attacking the letter to its leg before it spread its wings and flew off. James slowly walked over to join Samantha at the window, moving to stand beside her, placing his hands on the sill, putting his weight into them.

Silence stretched between them for several minutes before James finally spoke again.

"I'm sorry about all I said. I was out of line," he told her softly, unable to turn and look at her.

"We both were," Samantha whispered. "I'm sorry, too."

"No," James replied, shaking his head. "Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong." He inhaled deeply. "You were right, you know," he told her, finally turning to look at her.

Samantha glanced at him questioningly. "Right about what?"

He gave her a smile. "Thank you. For being there for Sirius. He's not had the best life, and when people cut him out of their lives, he tends to take harder that others would. I don't know what he would have done if it hadn't been for you."

Uncertainly, she returned his smile. "I didn't pay him much attention at first. I noticed that he was handling being shunned poorly, but it took me over a week to approach him. I wasn't sure if he would want my company. But he accepted it quickly when I finally offered it to him, and that's when I realized just how much he valued his friends."

"He's my best mate," James said, turning his gaze back to the darkening grounds below. "Looking back now, I hate that he had to go through that. But he was out of line. We couldn't pretend that it didn't happen. We still aren't pretending it didn't happen. But we're moving past it."

"I'm glad. It's good to see him…to see all of you back to normal again."

"Well, not quite back to normal." He watched her from the corner of his eye. "I've got one best mate back, but not the other. And I can't be happy again until she forgives me."

She closed her eyes. "James," she said with a shake of her head. She stepped closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder. "I could never stay mad at you."

James let out a sigh of relief, pulling her into a tight hug.

"I'm glad," he said as they stepped away from each other. A grin slowly spread across his face. "I've got to have someone to talk me up to Lily, after all."

Samantha's face instantly dropped into a scowl. "Don't you push your luck, James Potter. I can go back to not speaking to you whenever I want."

"Oh, come on," James whined. "Just talk her up to me a little bit. There's a Hogsmeade trip in December. This could be the one."

Samantha let out a frustrated sigh. "I'd prefer to stay out of it, thank you. You don't need my help to annoy Lily."

"Fine, fine," James relented. "You'd probably do it wrong anyway."

She shook her head at him. "No, you do that fine all by yourself."

"You'll see, Sam. One day she will no longer be able to resist me."

"I'm sure." The flatness in her voice suggested otherwise.

A sharp wind suddenly cut through the tower and they both jumped at the sudden chill.

"Come on," he muttered, placing a hand on her back and steering her out of the tower. "It's bloody cold up here."

* * *

**End Chapter**


	10. Chapter Ten

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**I had a hard time getting this chapter to come out how I wanted. Hopefully I pulled it off alright. Also, I've noticed that I seem to have a weekly update schedule going on, at least in the past few updates. This is not on purpose, it just happens to be when I finish what I need. I'll try my best to keep up the pace, but I just wanted to warn you that this is not a set schedule so an update may take longer.**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Ten

"Don't forget about the passage behind the fourth floor mirror."

"Should we map the one under the Whomping Willow?"

"Why not? No one's going to be able to read it but us."

"Hopefully. I haven't quite figured out those charms yet."

"What about the Room of Requirement?"

"We already tried that; it's un-plottable."

James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus were sitting at a table in the back of the Gryffindor common room, their heads bent together over a piece of old parchment. For the past couple of weeks, they had been working on their map, recently dubbed the Marauders Map. They'd finished drawing out the castle, and were adding up the finishing touches before they placed the charms on it.

Or, attempted to place the charms at least. Remus was in charge of that, naturally, but he was a bit worried about being able to do them successfully. They would be complicated, and he planned on closing his curtains around his bed to work privately. He was sure his friends would become impatient; it would take longer than they wanted. But hopefully it would be worth the hard work in the end if he managed the charms.

"Alright," James said, sitting away from the map. "I think that's it."

"Fantastic," Sirius replied. "It's time for you to add your touch to it, Moony."

Remus sighed and glanced around at the three of them. "You don't honestly expect me to do that tonight, do you? It's going to take awhile. I thought I would work on it this Saturday."

"Fine," James grumbled. "I suppose we can wait a few more days."

"It'll help you work on your patience, Prongs," Remus said.

"What about Sirius?" Peter asked, gesturing at the boy who looked even more disappointed than James about having to wait.

"No," Remus replied with a shake of his head. "He's far worse than James. I don't think patience will ever be anything he ever has."

"I'm sitting right here, you know," Sirius spoke up, arms crossed over his chest.

"We know," the other three boys said at once. Sirius's lips twitched downwards into what dangerously looked like a pout and they burst out laughing.

"I wasn't the one who was complaining; Prongs was," Sirius protested. "I'm well aware that good magic takes patience."

"And that's why you never do good magic," Remus said with a grin.

Sirius brought his hand up to cover his heart. "You wound me, Moony."

He did not look wounded for long. Samantha and Amber had just entered the common room and were crossing the large room towards the staircase to the girls' rooms. Sirius caught sight of them instantly, and his eyes followed her across the room. Halfway through, Samantha glanced their way and when her eyes met Sirius's, she flashed him a smile and waved. He nodded at her, grinning broadly at her. As quick as it had happened, it was gone, and Sirius turned back to his friends to find them all staring at him.

"What?" he asked with a frown.

"Don't you 'what' us," Peter said with a smirk.

"That was too similar to how James is when Lily walks through the room to not comment on it," Remus added.

Sirius scoffed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sirius, we need to get going to practice."

Their attention turned to James, who's voice sounded strangely strained. Sirius's eyebrows rose. "But practice isn't for another hour."

James shrugged. "I want to go early." He stood from his chair. "Let's go Padfoot."

"Alright, alright."

Sirius stood as well and, shrugging at Remus and Peter, followed James out of the common room. At first, their walk was silent. James's jaw was tight, his shoulders stiff. Sirius wasn't quite sure what his problem was, but he was smart enough to know not to speak first for the possibility of setting him off.

After a long, and to Sirius awkward, silence, James finally spoke. His voice was low and distant.

"Sirius, tell me the truth."

Sirius turned his grey eyes to James, his steps faltering. He was not sure to what his friend was referring to, but his tone of voice worried him.

James stopped and turned to Sirius. "Do you fancy Samantha?"

"Wha…fancy….Samantha….?" Sirius spluttered, surprised. This was not what he had expected. "No," he shook his head furiously. "No. I remember what you told me, James."

"I didn't ask if you remembered what I told you, mate. I just….I've seen the way you look at her. I've watched the two of you together for weeks. You've really gotten to know her since school started. And I want to know. Do you fancy her?"

"I…" He sighed heavily. "I don't know, James. If you'd asked me two months ago, I would have said no and meant it. But now…She's different, y'know?" He began to slowly walk down the corridor and James fell into step with him. "She doesn't keep my company because of my reputation or because of who I am, the money I have- of course I don't have any bloody money now. She keeps my company because she likes me for me and I'm not used to that. From you lot, yes, but not from any of the girls I've ever been around. It's different. I like it. It made me realize just how empty my previous relationships have been, and I've had no interest for them lately.

"We've talked about our families, amongst other things. I feel like I could tell her anything and she wouldn't judge me. There's something about her, James. I didn't mean for it to happen, I swear. But she's gotten under my skin."

James was silent for several minutes as they continued to walk down the corridor. He turned Sirius's words over in his head, allowing them to sink in. Sirius seemed to be waiting for James to shout, to threaten to take his head off or worse. But he didn't. His face remained calm save for a little worry that showed in his eyes.

"I should be mad at you," James said finally. "I should have seen this coming, even though there's no way for me to have. I should have told you not to talk to her at all. But I'm not. And I didn't. So, if you wanted to ask her on the Hogsmeade trip next month…I wouldn't protest it."

Sirius froze in his tracks and turned a shocked look towards James. "Ask her to Hogsmeade? I'm not…I'm not even sure if I fancy her or not, mate. I don't know if I…"

James shook his head. "Were you even listening to yourself when you were talking about her just a moment ago? I know you're new to this whole liking a girl for who she is thing, but mate, you fancy her."

"But…I've never had more of a relationship than…well, you know. I'm not sure if a real relationship is what I want. I've never given having one any thought before."

"Well," James shrugged. "There's only one way to find out. It's not like asking her to Hogsmeade means you'll spend the rest of your lives together. Just go on one date, and if you want more, well, these things have ways of just happening."

Sirius shoved his hands into his pockets. "D'you really think I should, Prongs?"

"Yes. Because I think that if you don't, you'll end up regretting it."

Sirius nodded. "Alright-"

"But, I'll have you know that if you hurt her in any way, you'll be regretting _that_ for the rest of your life."

"If there's one thing I do know James, it's that I don't think I could ever hurt her."

"She's already been through enough when it comes to relationships." Sirius did not know most of the story, but he did know that James was referring to her past relationship with Oliver McCalman. "She's insecure; it won't be easy to get her to agree. But I think it would be good for her, even if it doesn't go past going to Hogsmeade."

Sirius nodded. "I still want to think on it. It's a month away."

"Wait until you're certain."

"I will," Sirius replied. "Can we keep this between the two of us? Remus and Peter won't let me hear the end of it."

James nodded. "For now, at least. And only because I don't want Sam to hear about it."

"Thanks, mate," Sirius said dryly.

James grinned. "Anytime, Padfoot. Anytime."

By now they had reached the entrance hall, and they still had about half an hour until practice was set to start.

"How about a quick game, just you and me?" James suggested. "We haven't done that since the summer."

Sirius grinned. "Alright. Just don't whine too much when I beat your arse."

"Ha!" James exclaimed loudly as they began to set off across the grounds. "We'll see about that."

By the time the rest of the team wandered down to the pitch, the two of them were in a heated game. They would never know who won. They were having too good a time to keep score.

* * *

Over the next few days, Sirius turned James's words over in his head several times. He'd told him he'd give it some thought, but he found himself unable to get it out of his head. James asked him several times if he'd made up his mind until Sirius finally admitted that he couldn't stop thinking about it. James had then called him mental and told him to get his arse moving.

But it was easier said than done. It was nearly impossible to get her alone. The crowded common room was not the ideal place to talk to her. Neither were the corridors between classes or the Great Hall at meals. James told him he was only stalling, which was partially true. He wasn't quite sure what to say to her, and he was nervous since James seemed unsure as to how she would react.

Nearly a week after their conversation, Sirius was no longer able to put it off. Transfiguration was the last class of the day, and when the bell rang and students began gathering their things, McGonagall asked Samantha to stay back for a moment.

As Sirius filed out of the room with his friends, James hung back and elbowed him in the ribs.

"Now's your chance," he hissed.

"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked, wincing and rubbing the spot where James had jabbed him.

"Stay back and walk to her dinner," James said. He gestured ahead of them, where Lily and Amber were already heading to the Great Hall. "She'll be alone."

"I dunno, James. I'm not sure what to say."

James rolled his eyes. "You're Sirius Black. You always have something to say. Just wait for her."

"Fine." Sirius sighed and leaned against the wall opposite the door to the classroom. James watched him for a moment as if he were making sure he was going to stay. He left only when Sirius shot a warning look at him.

It did not take long for Samantha to emerge from the classroom. She looked genuinely surprised to find Sirius waiting for her, but that surprise quickly shifted into a smile.

"What did McGonagall want?" Sirius asked her, shoving away from the wall and falling into step with her.

"She just wanted to compliment on my recent improvement in her class," Samantha said.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "And did you tell her what I told you to tell her?"

"I may have made you sound a bit less arrogant, but yes, I did mention that you were helping. She seemed surprised that you were acting as a tutor."

"It's really not what I would call tutoring. More of helping out a friend."

She shrugged. "Either way, McGonagall told me to keep it up. So I think you're stuck with helping me for the time being."

Sirius sighed and feigned an averse look. "If I must."

Samantha smiled and shook her head at him. "I can always go to James. Even if he isn't as patient with me as you are."

He pulled a face. "I'll help you whenever you want. Just don't abandon me for James. I'd never hear the end of it."

"Don't worry," she assured him. "You're a lot easier to work with."

Sirius smirked. "Mind if I tell James you said that? I believe he'd be jealous."

She let out a soft laugh. "I would have told it to his face," she informed him, "If he'd waited behind for me as well."

Just like that, Samantha brought up a way for Sirius to bring up the reason he'd hung back to walk with her and his heart began to pound harder in his chest. Silently, he berated himself. He was Sirius Black. He didn't get nervous, lest of all about things such as this. But he had never been turned down before, and with James's warning that she would likely not agree as willingly as most girls, he was worried that she would say no.

"I wanted to ask you something," Sirius told her, the words slipping from his tongue surprisingly easily.

"What?" she asked, looking at him expectantly. "If you're wanting me to help you in a class in exchange for helping me with Transfiguration, I feel inclined to let you know that Lily is a much better tutor."

"Noted, but not quite what I wanted to ask," Sirius replied with a shake of his head and a small smile.

"Oh." She furrowed her brow. "Well then, what is it?"

"Well," he took a deep breath, preparing himself, "There's a Hogsmeade trip next month and I was wondering if you might accompany me."

Her face fell instantly, her eyes dropping to the floor, refusing to meet his gaze. Silently, Sirius began to curse James. This was what he had been afraid of. Even if he had begun to fancy her, he liked where they were and didn't want anything to ruin their friendship. He hadn't even thought about asking her on a date until James had begun talking to him about it.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, still staring at the floor beneath their feet. "But I…can't. I've…I've got to go."

It was not until she had turned and begun to head back the way they had come that he realized just how much he had wanted her to say yes.

"Sam!" he called, jogging down the corridor to catch up to her. "Sam, wait a moment." He stepped into her path, grasping her shoulders to stop her. She met his gaze hesitantly and he saw that her blue eyes held worry, doubt…fear. A part of him wished he could take it all back, but a larger part urged him to try again.

"Look," he said softly, "I know I have a reputation when it comes to girls. But I want to move past that. I…like you, Samantha."

She shook her head. "No you don't."

"Sam-"

"I've heard it before," she interrupted him. "That I'm different than other girls, that you're not just looking for a quick moment in the broom cupboard. The last time I believed that, I gave him a year and he threw it away in one night. So forgive me for not believing you. The answer is no."

She moved out of his grasp and stepped around him, continuing down the corridor. He did not wait but a moment before he began to follow her.

"Do you know what I think?" he asked her, keeping stride with her.

She spun around to face him, frowning deeply, hints of anger showing in her eyes. He was surprised when she snapped at him.

"What do you think? Please, I absolutely must know what Sirius Black thinks."

"I think you want to find out what this is, too," he told her. "I think you're just too scared."

"'This'? There is no 'this', Sirius!"

"There could be," he argued. "If you'd give it even the smallest of chances."

"I disagree," she said coolly. "I don't think there's anything here."

"Oh, really?"

He was suddenly standing close enough that she could smell the sweet scent of his aftershave, that she felt small with him towering over her. His hands moved to cup her face gently and he leaned down, pressing his lips against hers. Slowly, he moved against her mouth and for several long seconds, she was too taken aback to react. She finally managed to gather her senses and roughly broke his grip, pulling away from him. Her eyes were angry and his heart sunk when he saw the hurt shine through. She said nothing to him as she brushed past him, rushing away as fast as she could.

"Damn it," he muttered, turning to watch her go, running a hand through his hair.

But he had to wonder, right before she pulled away from him, why she had begun to kiss him back.

* * *

"There you are," James said, bent over his trunk, when Sirius entered their dorm nearly an hour later. "I was wondering what had happened but neither one of you showed up at dinner. I was going to go looking for you when I remembered we have the map now that Moony finished the charms. I was just getting it."

Sirius did not reply as he moved to his bed, falling onto his back, throwing his arm over his forehead.

James turned to look at him, shooting him an annoyed look, when he did not answer. "So?" he asked impatiently, seating himself on the edge of his own bed, leaning towards him. "How did it go?"

Sirius took so long to reply that James was nearly vibrating with irritation and was close to going to more drastic measures to make him talk when he finally said, "I didn't mean to upset her. I swear mate, I didn't mean to."

"Oh." James deflated, becoming more subdued. "So she didn't take it well then?"

"No, Prongs," Sirius snapped, turning his head to glare at James. "And some warning would have been nice."

"I did warn you."

"You told me it wouldn't be easy," Sirius argued, pushing himself up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed to better look at him. "You didn't tell me that she would panic and accuse me of lying. This is why I was hesitant. I didn't want to mess things up between us."

"I didn't realize she'd react that badly," James admitted. "It's been nearly a year since they broke up."

"A year?" Sirius asked, voice dry. "Is that all?"

"Stuff it," James muttered. "I thought she'd be ready."

"Those things don't just disappear overnight, James," Sirius pointed out.

"I know," James sighed. His eyes suddenly brightened, his back straightening. "Perhaps if you pushed a little more. Maybe she just needs some convincing."

Sirius snorted. "Believe me, mate. I pushed. She walked away from me three times. I followed twice, tried to convince her I meant it. At least in the best way I knew how. I'm not as good at these things as one would think," Sirius admitted. "A date is completely different than a few hours spent together then going on your way until the next time."

"Perhaps you could try again?"

"No way," Sirius replied with a shake of his head. "I think I've already done enough damage. I want to apologize to her, if she'll listen. Then maybe things can go back to normal between us."

"Apologize? For asking her on a date?"

"More for pushing her more than I probably should." Sirius ran a hand through his hair, shifting uncomfortably. "And for kissing her," he mumbled.

"You _kissed_ her? Well, no wonder she didn't take it well," James exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air in exasperation.

"I know, James," Sirius said, voice irritated. "I told you, I'm not good at these things. I didn't even think about how bad of an idea it was until I saw the look on her face when she pulled away. Now I wish I could just take it back."

"This seems to be a reoccurring problem with you." At Sirius's answering glare, James shrugged. "It's true."

"I need to work on my people skills," Sirius snapped. "I am well aware. Can we get back to the conversation."

"I wasn't aware that we'd left the conversation," James replied, continuing to ignore Sirius's irritation. "Since it's your bad people skills that got you in this mess in the first place."

"But my bad people skills aren't going to help fix it," Sirius shot back. "So if you could stop getting off track and tell me how to fix it, I would greatly appreciate it."

James shrugged. "I dunno how to fix it. What makes you think I know how?"

"You've known her your whole life! You know how her mind works better than anyone."

"That does not mean," James sniffed, "That I know how to fix this. She's a very complex person. She changes depending on what's happened. She's not one of those people who you can figure out what's wrong and therefore know just how to fix it depending on past experiences. And even if she were, I wouldn't know how to fix this."

Sirius sighed heavily and fell back onto his bed, his eyes staring at the ceiling. "What if I tried to apologize to her?"

"It can't hurt," James replied. "I mean, I highly doubt it will magically fix everything. I don't know if things will ever be the same; you've done a wonderful job of scaring her off." Sirius pushed himself up onto his elbows to shoot James a withering glare, which was pointedly ignored. "But yeah, I think you should apologize. If she'll let you."

"Yeah," Sirius allowed himself to drop back down to the bed again. "She probably wants nothing to do with me anymore."

"Probably not," James agreed. "But before this summer she didn't want anything to do with you either. It might take some time, but I'll bet she'll speak to you again. Give her some time before you apologize even. Give her space. That way she'll know you didn't mean it."

Sirius sighed again, but did not reply. James watched him a moment longer before he stood and headed down into the common room to find Peter and Remus, leaving Sirius alone with his guilt.

* * *

"It's not as bad as you're making it out to be," Amber said from her bed as she watched Samantha pace their bedroom furiously, as she had been since she'd shown up after two hours of Amber and Lily having no idea where she'd been. She'd been very visibly upset, and the two girls had immediately drug her up to their bedroom where, luckily, Morgan and Courtney had not been, and Samantha had told them what had happened. Amber seemed to be much less worried about it than the other two girls were.

"Why would he do that?" Samantha asked, paying no attention to what Amber had said. "I told him no; why couldn't he understand that I didn't want to? Why did he have to keep pushing?"

"Because he's Sirius Black," Lily said crossly from the foot of her own bed. "He doesn't know what 'no' means, especially when it's a girl who's saying it to him. I'm fairly certain all he gets from them is 'yes'."

"I thought he knew me well enough to know I'm not like those girls," Samantha argued.

"It's not a big deal," Amber replied. "He just asked you on a date."

"It's not asking me on a date I'm mad about. I didn't like it, no, but he didn't mean any harm. It was the pushing. And the…"

"Kiss?" Amber supplied. Heat rose in Samantha's cheeks and Amber smiled. "That's not that big of a deal either, really. I mean, when was the last time you kissed a boy?"

"You know the answer to that," Samantha snapped.

Amber shrugged. "It's been a long while, then. It was harmless."

"He had no right," Lily spoke up, causing Amber to turn a glare onto her.

"Thank you," Samantha exclaimed. "At least one of you gets it."

"You should reconsider," Amber continued as if they had not spoken. "Sirius _never_ asks a girl on a date. Not to Hogsmeade at least. His definition of a date has always been a bit of snogging here and there. He's always with his friends on Hogsmeade trips. He obviously fancies you. And you can't say you're not at least a little attracted to him."

"I…I am not," Samantha stuttered, earning a knowing smirk from Amber and an appalled look from Lily.

"He's gotten to you," Lily accused. "I knew something like this would happen when you started hanging around him so much."

"And what's so bad about that?" Amber demanded to know.

"He's _Sirius Black_. That's enough reason right there."

"Well, I've been hoping they would fall together eventually," Amber informed her. "I think they'd make a good couple."

"Sirius doesn't do 'couple'," Lily reminded her.

"There's no reason why he can't change."

"The two of you do realize I'm still right here, don't you?" Samantha said, finally ceasing her pacing, turning to face the two of them, placing her hands on her hips. "He's not as bad as you make him out to be," she said to Lily before turning her gaze to Amber. "And I don't want to go on a date with him."

"Don't want to?" Amber asked. "Or too scared to?"

It was too close to what Sirius had said to her earlier, and turning on her heel, Samantha stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

"Perfect," Lily muttered, drawing Amber's attention.

"Well, I for one think that went swimmingly."

Lily shook her head. "You're mental."

* * *

**End Chapter**


	11. Chapter Eleven

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**I was going to wait to post this until I wrote out the scenes that follow, but I'm trying my best to keep a weekly update schedule going and as this is the last week of my Maymester course, I've been too busy to write much. This scene is a lot longer that normal anyway. I wrote it as one continuous flow, but to minimize confusion, I seperated it out a little as it jumps back and forth between characters. I also want to thank my anonymous reviewer and to tell you that I appreciate any feedback I am given.**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Eleven

It did not take Sirius long at all to realize that having Samantha Dawson pretend that he did not exist was nearly as terrible to have to go through as when his friends were shunning him. He had not realized how much he had grown used to her company until it was suddenly gone. Her gaze avoided his in the classrooms and corridors, and she took special care to seat herself as far away from him as she could in the Great Hall or common room. In Transfiguration, she sat with Lily and Amber, and James moved to occupy her usual seat so Sirius would not have to sit alone. Sirius tried his hardest to pretend that all of this did not bother him.

Just as they had when the Marauders had not been speaking to Sirius, rumors began to spread as to why Samantha Dawson suddenly would have nothing to do with Sirius Black. In the center of the rumors seemed to be Morgan Devereux, who was rather smug about their sudden falling out. She'd decided to take the opportunity to try and get Sirius to spend some time with her just as they once had, but he brushed her aside every time, and every time, Morgan soured towards Samantha even more.

Samantha ignored it all. She didn't particularly care what people had to say. They had no idea what had really happened, and it was not their business. Sirius didn't seem to be bothered by it at all, from what she could gather from the brief glimpses she would get of him when he was not paying attention. He had not tried to speak to her at all, and though it surprised her, she did not mind in the least. Knowing him, he would not remain quiet forever, but she was not ready for whatever conversation would follow him approaching her. It was best that he was giving her space. She did not think she would be able to do anything but brush him aside and walk away at this point.

James did not touch the subject whenever the two of them spoke, and instead, carried on as if nothing were wrong. She let him. She knew him well enough to know that he had to have had some part in Sirius asking her to Hogsmeade. But she also knew that James would not have told him to push her as far as he had. Lily and Amber had taken to not speaking of it either, having taken the hint when Samantha had stormed away from them and into the bathroom. She knew Amber was dying to speak about it more, but for the time being, Samantha would not indulge her.

Over a week passed this way, and no change was in sight. Samantha was able to stop worrying about what had happened at every moment. She'd come to realize that she missed Sirius's company, and far for the first time, wished that he had not asked her to Hogsmeade. She'd been happy having him as a friend, and they had much more in common than she'd ever imagined possible. They'd stayed up late at night in the common room several times now, talking about whatever came to mind, usually family, and now it was gone. She felt suddenly lonely without his company, no matter she told herself she didn't. Lily was right. He had gotten to her.

"Thank goodness it's Friday," Amber said, glancing around at the food piled on the table, trying to decide what she wanted to eat for dinner.

"Can I expect to find you stowed away somewhere with a boy after hours tonight?" Lily asked her dryly.

Samantha paid no attention to Amber's reply as she spooned a small helping of mashed potatoes onto her plate. Not long after, she heard Lily make a sound of disgust in her throat and glanced at her questioningly.

"What?"

Lily was looking further down the table towards where the Marauders were sitting. Samantha and Amber followed her gaze to see Morgan joining the four boys, seating herself practically on top of Sirius. From where they were sitting, they could not see the annoyance that flashed across Sirius's face.

"It's disgusting how she throws herself at him," Lily said. "Doesn't she have anything better to do?"

Samantha snorted. "That's all she cares to do. She'd take him home with her on breaks if she could."

Amber laughed as she slipped a green bean in her mouth. "She's not the only girl in this school who would."

Samantha watched as Morgan leaned closer to him, whispering something in his ear, and her jaw clenched. She had never paid any attention to the two of them together before, but now it bothered her more than she cared to admit. It did not take long for her to know that she could not keep sitting there watching them.

"I'm getting a bit of a headache," she said, setting her fork down. "I think I'm just going to go back to the common room and lie down for a bit."

Lily furrowed her brow. "Are you sure? It would probably help to eat a little."

Samantha fought the urge to glance back down the table. "I'm sure," she said, giving them a small smile. She grabbed her backpack and stood from the table. "I'll see you in a bit, yeah?"

Lily nodded, but Amber only gave her a knowing look, which Samantha pointedly ignored as she turned and strode from the Great Hall. She was so focused on getting away that she did not notice the boy that rose from the Ravenclaw table as she passed.

* * *

"I thought perhaps we could spend some time together later."

Sirius fought the urge to roll his eyes as he gritted his teeth. "I told you that I'm not in the mood."

"But that was days ago."

"Well, I'll let you know when that changes."

"Come on, Sirius," Morgan said to him softly. "It could be good for you. You've just gone too long."

Sirius looked about ready to lose his temper, but James stepped in before he was able.

"He can't," he said, drawing everyone's gaze. "He's got quidditch." When Morgan raised an eyebrow and looked as if she was going to say something, he continued. "And after that we were going to get ahead on the weekend's homework."

Morgan pursed her lips. "Alright then. You know where to find me if you change your mind."

She rose and returned to where she had been sitting with Courtney a little ways down the table.

"I didn't know you had quidditch tonight," Peter said.

"We don't," James replied simply.

"And I'm not doing any bloody homework tonight either," Sirius added.

Remus shook his head. "The two of you are absolutely terrible."

James gave him a cheeky grin. "Aren't we though?"

* * *

Samantha was taking her time as she headed to Gryffindor Tower. She preferred wandering the corridors to lying on her bed so she walked slowly, glancing out of the windows she passed to the darkening grounds. The sky had been overcast for days, the air bitter, and the first snowfall of the year was bound to come in the next few weeks.

She paused at one window, lightly resting her hand on the sill as she gazed out. From her vantage point, she could see the pathway that wound its way towards the village of Hogsmeade. She briefly wondered what it would have been like if she had not been too afraid to say yes to Sirius. Quickly, she pushed those thoughts aside. She did not want to think about it.

"Samantha."

Her heart jumped in her chest as it always did whenever she heard his voice. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down, before she turned to face him. His blonde hair. His green eyes. The way one side of his mouth tilted up into a half smile.

"Oliver," she breathed. Catching herself, she narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you want?"

His head cocked to the side, his lips twitching slightly. "Since when do I need an excuse to talk to you?"

"Since I broke up with you," she snapped in response. "You do realize James will kill you as soon as he hears you talked to me."

Oliver smirked at her. "That's what you told me last summer when we spoke on the train home. But it seems as if you failed to mention the conversation to him." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Sorry, but that threat won't work with me."

"What do you want?" she asked again. "It must be important if you felt the need to follow me."

He shrugged, looking none too concerned about the anger in her voice. "I'm just curious," he replied casually, "As to what's going on with you and Black."

"Sirius? Why do you care?"

Oliver snorted. "So it's 'Sirius' now? You know, it was only a year ago when you hated him."

"I didn't know him. Things change," she replied, voice clipped.

"I suppose they do," he agree, eying her closely. "But that doesn't answer my question."

"It's not your business," she snapped, eyes flashing. "You have no right to even ask."

"Nothing then?" Her eyes narrowed at the mocking tone of his voice. "It's just as well. He's a Black. Far too much for you to handle."

"So I'm only allowed to date slimy gits like you?"

"I was doing you a favor."

"A favor," she repeated flatly. "If you recall, I'm a Pureblood. I most certainly do not need any favors, especially from the likes of you."

His eyebrows rose. "I've never heard you pull the Pureblood card before. Things do change."

"Don't you twist my words," she growled.

* * *

"Where'd Sam go?" James asked back in the Great Hall. "Surely she hasn't finished eating already."

He was looking down the table where Lily and Amber now sat alone. Following his gaze, Peter shrugged.

"She probably just wanted to go back to the common room. Lily and Amber don't seem too concerned."

"You should go find her," James said to Sirius, who gave him an odd look in return.

"And why should I do that?"

James rolled his eyes. "Because this avoiding each other thing has gone on long enough. Go apologize already; stop putting it off."

"You say that as if apologizing will fix everything."

"Well, of course it won't," James argued. "But it certainly will make things better than they are now. At least she'll know you're sorry about it."

"He has a point," Remus spoke up. "It wasn't exactly a smooth move on your part."

Though James had agreed to not tell Peter and Remus what exactly had transpired between Sirius and Samantha, they had questioned them about what had happened enough that they had told them just to shut them up. Neither one of them had looked too surprised at what Sirius had done.

"Fine," Sirius sighed, pushing himself up from the table. "Fine. I'll go talk to her. Just leave me alone."

James grinned as he watched Sirius go. "He tries so hard to pretend he doesn't care, doesn't he?"

Peter and Remus both replied with a laugh.

* * *

"Is that all you wanted?" Samantha asked Oliver when he did not speak. "Because I have a lot of things I could be doing that's much better than having to speak to you."

He smirked at her words. "You've gotten braver," he observed.

He stepped closer to her, and she backed up to keep the distance between them. It was only a few steps before her back hit the wall, but he did not stop closing in the space, stopping only when he was just shy of pressing against her.

"I've come to realize that I miss you," he told her, looking down at her. She tried her best to hide how nervous she was becoming with him so close to her. "I thought maybe…you would find me worthy enough to take me back."

She snorted. "Are you jealous? Because I was always under the impression that you were with me because of who I was."

Oliver shook his head. "It wasn't like that," he snapped at her before his expression softened. He brought a hand up to her face, and she managed to stop herself from flinching away. His thumb brushed over her lips before his hand moved to cup her jaw. "It was always just about you, Iaso," he breathed. She tensed when his eyes closed, when he tilted his head towards her, moving to bring his lips towards hers.

"No," she shouted, shoving roughly at him, forcing him away from her.

A familiar anger flashed across his face, and dread shot through her right before he grabbed her arms roughly, shoving her against the wall.

"We've discussed how you're to talk to me before," he told her lowly. "Don't you make me tell you again."

"Oliver…" Her voice was strained, pleading. All of her snappy comments had dissolved on her tongue as a too familiar feeling settled over her.

"There you are."

The sudden new voice startled them both, and they looked to see Sirius striding towards them. His voice had been calm, but the sharp lines on his face spoke of danger, and relief washed over her. She felt Oliver hesitate before he released her arms and took a step away from her. She slumped against the wall in relief, rubbing her right wrist.

"Did you forget we were supposed to meet up so I could help you in Transfiguration?"

It took her a moment to realize he was addressing her.

"Sorry," she managed to say. "I guess it slipped my mind."

Sirius smiled easily at her, his hands shoved in his pockets. "That's fine. We can go to the library right now if you'd like. No one will be there; we'll get first pick at seats."

Samantha nodded weakly and Sirius turned a hard gaze onto Oliver. "Sorry to interrupt," he said, his voice now edged with a threatening tone. "But surely you know how hopeless she is in Transfiguration."

Oliver smiled, not bothering to even try to make it look like he meant it. "Of course," he replied. His gaze turned to Samantha. "I'll see you around then."

"No," Sirius snapped, his eyes flashing angrily. "I don't believe you will."

The two boys held each other's gaze for a long moment, and it was impossible to ignore the tension building between them. Finally, Oliver broke the gaze by spinning on his heel, striding down the corridor without a glance back.

Sirius did not move until he was out of sight. As soon as he'd turned a corner, he was at Samantha's side, his hand resting on her arm lightly.

"Sam, are you alright?" he asked her concernedly.

She shut her eyes tightly, her hand coming up to cover her mouth, and she managed to shake her head before she leaned forward to rest her forehead on his chest. He hesitated before moving his hand to her back. He'd never seen her so close to losing control of her emotions, and he was not sure what to do. He briefly thought of getting James, but he quickly decided against it. James would be too angry, and he did not think Samantha needed to hear him shout at the moment.

He turned his head to look down the corridor as the sound of talking met his ears. A lot of people would be finished with dinner by now, he realized, and would be coming upon them at any moment. He glanced around, and he found that just across the corridor was an empty classroom.

"Come on," he said softly, turning towards the room, keeping his hand on her back as he guided her towards the door. He opened the door, and gently pushed her ahead of him into the room. He followed right behind her, shutting the door behind them and turned to find Samantha moving towards the back wall.

The room was dark, save for the gentle glow of some sort of light source towards the very front of the room. In the shadows at the back, Samantha leaned against the wall, slowly sinking down to the floor. He only hesitated a moment before he moved to join her, seating himself beside her. She had her knees drawn up to her chest, her arms hugging her legs tightly as she stared firmly at the front of the room. He had seated himself close enough to her that his arm lightly brushed against hers, and he pulled his knees up slightly, resting his other arm across them, as he watched her silently.

"Iaso," she whispered suddenly after a long silence, surprising him.

"What?" he asked her, not sure what she was saying.

"Iaso," she repeated just a little louder. "It's what he used to call me. The day I was introduced to him, he found out that I wanted to be a healer, and he called me Iaso. She was the Greek Goddess of cures and remedies. There's not much more people know about her, but he still was able reference it. Since I've always had an interest in reading about Greek mythology, I liked him right away."

Sirius frowned. He'd never heard her speak of an interest in Greek mythology.

She smiled bitterly, and though she was not looking at him, she seemed to guess what he was thinking. "Ever since I broke up with him, I can't seem to have much interest in it. It reminds me of him too much. We used to talk about it all the time."

She sighed, and seemed to be having some inner battle, before she spoke again. "We met on a Hogsmeade trip fourth year. Amber went with this bloke from Ravenclaw and Oliver happened to be his best mate. We all got together for a drink in the Three Broomsticks and we were sitting beside each other. We ended up talking the whole time, and then we wandered around the village together. He…he was really sweet. Of course now I wonder if he just knew all of the right things to say."

Her eyes closed, and she drew in a shaky breath. He reached over to grasp her hand in hers, squeezing it gently. Her eyes flew open, and she turned to look at him in surprise. After a moment, her gaze turned apologetic.

"I'm sorry," she said to him. "I shouldn't be telling you all of this."

"No," he shook his head, giving her a small smile that made her feel more at ease. "It's alright. You can tell me anything."

One corner of her lips tilted up ever so slightly in response, the closest he knew she would get to smiling at the moment. One of her hands- the one that was not grasped in his own- came up to push her hair out of her face. Her sleeve slide down her arm, and he caught a glimpse of red.

"Let me see your arm," he said, releasing her hand to reach towards her other arm.

She stared at him, wide-eyed, for a moment before she reluctantly offered him her arm. He took it gently, pushing her sleeve up her arm. He ran his fingers over her red forearm gently.

"That's going to bruise," he said softly, releasing that arm to look at the other, which looked similar. "Remus has got some cream we can put on them if you'd like."

She shrugged. "It doesn't matter," she muttered. "It won't be the first time."

His eyes hardened. "Not the first time? He's done this before?'

She nodded and dropped her gaze. "I was reluctant to go with him at first. He was known for moving between girls." Beside her, Sirius shifted a bit, fully aware that he was known for the same thing. "But he was so sweet and convincing, reassuring me that I was the one for him. I eventually allowed myself to believe him and well…things progressed from there.

"The first few months were great. He was always thoughtful and worrying himself over me. He waited until I was completely hooked on him before things started to change. He began to lose his temper more, shout at me. At first I was patient, but then it became too much. When he was rude I began to talk back, to walk away if I didn't want to hear anymore. That's when he began grabbing me, telling me I wasn't to talk to him that way. He never hit me, I'll give him that. But my arms were nearly always bruised. I couldn't bring myself to break up with him though, and I kept it hidden from everyone."

Sirius clenched his jaw tightly, wondering just how many curses he could pull on Oliver McCalman before he got caught by a teacher. He swallowed, forcing his anger aside.

"What made you finally break up with him then?"

Her gaze came back up to his. "He was cheating on me," she told him. "I found out about it nearly a year after we'd gotten together. He was meeting with a Hufflepuff, Jessica Compton, when he told me he had quidditch practice. I finally found him out when he told me a time when I knew Gryffindor was practicing, thanks to James. One day I decided to confront him, and found him while he was snogging her. They realized I was there and before he could try to come up with an excuse, I told him we were done and walked off. I thought that would be all, but really I should have known better.

"He followed me. I didn't realize it until he grabbed me and pinned me against the wall, told me to never speak to him like that, that we weren't done until he said we were. But James, he has such wonderful timing. He told him to let me go, but Oliver told him it was none of his business. Well, you know James. He pulled out his wand, threatened him. This seemed to change his mind, and he shoved me at him and told him I wasn't worth it before walking off."

She sighed heavily. "He was pretty calm about it until he found the bruises. Something in him snapped, and he started to go after Oliver. I begged him not to, but he wouldn't listen. That's when we ran into Adrien, and of course James told him what happened. Luckily, his girlfriend Nichole was there to stop him when he wouldn't listen to me, and I managed to calm James down. Don't get me wrong; I didn't care what they did to Oliver. I just didn't want them to get in trouble for it."

She fell silent, and Sirius realized that she was done with her story. It seemed to have helped a little; she did not look as shaken as she had been at first. But she still looked miserable.

"I won't tell James," he told her quietly. "Not if you don't want me to."

She managed to give him a small smile at that. "As tempting as it sounds, I don't think it should be kept from him. And unfortunately that means my brother will find out."

"Well," Sirius said with a sigh, pushing himself to his feet. "If you can't keep it from them, you could at least keep it to yourself a little longer."

She looked up at him, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "You didn't eat dinner, right?" At her nod, he smiled. "How about we go down to the kitchens and get something to eat? I don't know about you, but I sure could go for something."

"But you did eat."

"So?" he asked before grinning down at her, sticking his hand out to her. "Come on. At the very least, it'll keep you away from James for a little while longer."

She hesitated before giving him a smile, one that actually reached her eyes, and she reached up to take his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

"Have you ever been to the kitchens before?" he asked as he began to lead the way to the classroom door.

"Of course," she said. "You're forgetting who my best mate is."

"Ah, true," he replied. "But you've never been with me before. The house elves like me better than James."

She laughed softly and he smiled to himself at having made her laugh. His hand was on the door knob, and he was about to open the door, when her hand caught his.

"Sirius."

He turned, an eyebrow raised in question.

"Thank you," she said softly. "For…for everything."

He smiled at her, but a moment later it disappeared, and he ran a hand through his hair.

"Listen," he said quietly. "About the other week. I didn't know. I'm sorr-"

"Don't," she interrupted him with a shake of her head. "Please. Just…let's just forget it happened, alright?"

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Giving him a smile, she moved past him to open the door and step into the corridor, missing the dejected look that crossed Sirius's face for only a brief moment before he wiped it away and fell in step with her towards the kitchens.

* * *

**End Chapter**

**I had a hard time with the part where Samantha was telling her story, I think mostly because it was just so much dialogue. Hopefully I pulled it off decently enough.**


	12. Chapter Twelve

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**Here's the next installment! I had a hard time with the second part, and still am not satisfied with it, but I got it done right when I was beginning to feel as if I wouldn't. This is a little shorter than normal but wrapping up the rest of the night seemed like a good place to leave off. A big thanks to those that reviewed! I really love hearing your feedback!**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Twelve

In no time at all, the two of them were seated at a small table in the kitchens, two plates piled high with food in front of them. The house elves had stepped back to give them privacy, but they waited attentively, ready in case they were asked for something else. Samantha stared at her plate, not quite sure where to start first.

"I ought to just start skipping meals and start coming down here instead," she said. "This looks wonderful."

Across from her, Sirius was already digging in. He nodded fervently, swallowing his current mouthful of food before replying. "I thought James had brought you down here before?"

"He has," she replied. "But that was more for late night snacks during exams. I know this is the same food we get in the Great Hall, but there's something different about eating it down here."

Sirius grinned at her. "Breaking the rules makes everything sweeter."

"You know," she said, spearing a piece of chicken with her fork, "I believe you're right."

He looked surprised for a moment. "_That's_ why you're best mates with Prongs," he murmured thoughtfully. "We always tried to figure it out."

"Hey," she gave him an offended look. "I'm not the stick in the mud you've seemed to peg me as. I enjoy a little rule breaking here and there. Not as much as you lot, mind you, but James has used his invisibility cloak to bring me down here after hours on several occasions."

"I always wondered if you knew about the cloak."

"Of course I do. I was there when his father gave it to him for Christmas first year."

Sirius shook his head. "What other Marauder secrets has he shared with you?"

"None, as I don't particularly care to know what the four of you get up to," she replied with a smile. "The only reason I know about that is because I was there when he got it. And I'm not daft. I know the cloak is often a tool for your goings on."

Sirius scoffed. "'Goings on', she says. It's an art, I tell you."

"An art that lands you in detention far too often."

"No, no. It _used_ to land us in detention far too often. Part of the art is learning to avoid said detention. Which we have become rather skilled at."

"Really? I was under the impression that the professors had just grown tired of assigning you lot detention all the time," she teased.

Sirius shrugged. "That's probably got something to do with it. But I prefer to think we've just honed our skills."

She shook her head. "And here I'd thought James would give up pulling pranks when he went off to school. I never imagined he'd find the three of you."

Sirius's grinned as if proud of himself before his eyes suddenly lit up as a thought crossed his mind, surprised at himself that he hadn't thought of it before.

"You grew up with James."

Her brow furrowed, and she looked genuinely confused. "Yes," she said slowly.

"I'll bet you can tell me things about James that would make him absolutely die when he finds out I know them."

"Of course I can," she replied. "But I certainly won't share. Not only will he murder me, but he'll tell stories about me in return."

Though she had not thought it possible, Sirius's sly grin grew wider. "But James isn't scared of you. I'll bet I can wrestle some stories about you out of him with little effort."

Her face dropped into a deep scowl. "Don't you dare, Sirius. I'll never speak to you again."

"Just give me a little story. Anything," he begged. "And I'll allow it to drop."

"Fine," she relented. A thoughtful look crossed her face, and she was silent for several moments before she said, "We were each other's first kiss."

Sirius's eyebrows rose. "Really?" He sounded truly surprised.

"Oh, yes," she replied, nodding fervently. "We were ten and talking about going to Hogwarts the next year, and I asked him if he thought I would fall in love one year at school. I was young; I loved to read muggle stories about girls finding their true love and I daydreamed endlessly about doing the same. I was worried it wouldn't happen to me, and I was worried I wouldn't pick the right boy for my first kiss."

"So James offered to be your first kiss?"

She nodded. "We'd wondered what it was like anyway. It was nothing special, of course. Just a quick peck. And it was like kissing my brother. Right after that, James told me that if I had not found true love by the time I was as old as my mum- she was thirty-one at the time- and if he had not either, that we would start a family together." She wrinkled her nose at the thought. "Honestly, I sincerely hope he doesn't remember that. He's not one to back out of a promise."

Sirius chuckled at her. "I don't think you'll have to worry. He's got Lily, if only she'd return his feelings. And you'll certainly find someone. There's no way you couldn't."

Surprise crossed her eyes, and she gave him a small smile. An uncomfortable silence fell between them, and Sirius could have kicked himself. He felt as if it were out of line for him to have said that, especially since they were trying to pretend as if he had never asked her on a date.

After taking a few bites of food, Samantha cleared her throat. "James tells me Peter's birthday is coming up this month," she said in an attempt to fill the silence.

Sirius nodded. "It's the fifteenth," he replied. "The day after tomorrow."

"Any big party planned? I know the Marauders will take any excuse to throw a party in the tower."

Sirius shook his head. "Alas, no. Pete's not one for big parties; hates the attention. I'm afraid our party will be contained up in our room this time."

"Well, there is the first quidditch match coming up in two weeks. If we win, there'll be cause to celebrate."

"If? I believe you mean 'when we win'."

"You're nearly as bad as James."

He snorted. "Speaking of birthdays," he said. "You never told me how you knew it was mine back in September. I'm still curious."

She shook her head at him. "I'm not one to reveal my sources."

He frowned deeply. "Come on," he begged. "It won't hurt to tell me."

"I don't know about that," she disagreed. "My source may hurt me if they find out I revealed who they are."

"What if I promise to keep it between the two of us."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't know if I can trust that."

He raised his right hand, looking completely serious as he said, "Marauder's honor."

She eyed him a moment longer, debating whether or not to believe him before answering. "James."

Sirius certainly had not expected that answer. His hand dropped to the table with a thud, his eyes widening. "J-James?" he spluttered. "But that's back when they weren't speaking to me."

"But this was before the two of us weren't speaking," she pointed out. Giving him a small smile, she said, "There's a reason I always told you that they'd come around. If James hadn't cared for you still, he wouldn't have told me so that someone would wish you happy birthday that day."

"Wow." He still looked shocked by this news, and didn't seem to know what to say. Eventually he shook his head with a chuckle, running his hand through his thick hair. "James always has been a sensitive bloke, hasn't he?"

"You won't tell him, will you?" She was worried that now Sirius knew who had told her, that he would feel obligated to say something to James.

"No," he said with a small shake of his head. "I promised I wouldn't. Besides, I think it would hurt a bit of his pride if he found out I knew about it."

"So our secret then?"

"I'll take it to my grave."

They continued to talk about whatever came to mind as they finished eating. When their plates were clean, the house elves replaced it with a delicious looking chocolate cake. It was unlike any chocolate cake they had ever had, or so Samantha had declared, and that's when they found out that the special ingredient was chocolate frogs. That was when Sirius had found out about Samantha's small obsession with the rich candy, and from the way she'd devoured the cake, he'd decided that when it came to chocolate frogs, she could probably out-eat Remus.

"I see you like chocolate frogs," he teased as he watched her start in on her second piece.

Color rose to her cheeks and she gave him a sheepish grin. "They're, ah, one of my weaknesses," she admitted. "It's odd, I know."

"No," he shook his head. "It's not. I think it's rather cute."

The color of her cheeks deepened and she stammered out a response that he couldn't quite make out. He grinned at her as she dropped her gaze away from his and began to poke her cake with her fork. After watching her for a moment, he steered the conversation back to where it had been before, and soon he had her talking as if nothing had happened.

It was a little while later, after he'd noticed Samantha attempting to stifle a yawn several times, that Sirius realized how late it was getting. He'd lost track of time ever since he'd stumbled upon Samantha and her ex boyfriend, but judging how tired he felt, it had to be well past midnight.

"We ought to head back to the common room," he said to her as she yawned yet again. "You look as if you could use some sleep."

She shrugged, running her hands over her eyes. "Dealing with Oliver always seems to have that effect," she muttered darkly. "What time is it?"

"Not sure," he replied. "But by my calculations, I'm fairly certain that it's well past curfew."

Samantha groaned loudly. "Fantastic."

"What, you don't make it a habit to go out after curfew? I thought you enjoyed a little rule breaking?"

"Yes," she agreed. "Rule breaking that won't earn me a detention. But we're all the way down in the kitchens and we have to make it all the way up to Gryffindor Tower without being caught. There's no way we won't run into trouble."

"Miss Dawson," Sirius admonished, giving her an offended look. "You're forgetting who you're with."

* * *

"Wait," Sirius whispered to her. He reached out to grab Samantha's arm and pulled her back. She ducked behind him, pushing herself up onto her toes to look over his shoulder to watch as Mrs. Norris wandered past. After a moment, Sirius peeked around the corner to watch her disappear out of sight.

Sirius darted to the right, and Samantha stayed right on his heels. They kept close to the wall, keeping their footsteps as light as possible as their eyes constantly remained on alert, looking for the slightest hint of movement. It was not until they were making their way down a sixth floor corridor that they ran into trouble.

"You there," Filch's voice suddenly shouted from behind them, making them both jump. "Students out of bed, you stop right there."

He began to jog towards them, a lantern held out in front of him. Sirius grabbed hold of Samantha's hand.

"Come on," he said to her before breaking into a sprint, pulling Samantha along behind him as Filch yelled at them to stop. Sirius took them around several corners in an attempt to lose Filch. They managed to move out of his line of sight, but they could hear his heavy footfalls echoing off the walls as he fought to keep up with them.

Sirius suddenly slid to a stop before a broom cupboard. Glancing behind them to make sure Filch was not yet in sight, he opened the door.

"Get in," he said, gently pushing her inside.

Taking one last look around, he slid in behind her, shutting the door as quietly as possible. Taking her arms, he gently guided her into the back corner of the cupboard. They heard footsteps out in the corridor, and the only sound they made was the slightly labored breathing from their run through the castle.

Filch's voice said, "I know you're around here somewhere," and they silenced their breathing. Sirius moved as close as he could to Samantha, pinning her between him and the wall, moving so that she was completely shielded from view, hoping to use the dark cupboard to their advantage. If she was uncomfortable with how close they were, she did not show it.

The door to the closet opened and they tensed. They could hear Filch shuffling around the doorway, peeking inside. After what seemed like ages, they heard him back out and the door shut. Samantha released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as Sirius relaxed against her.

"That was close," he whispered softly and she nodded in agreement.

They stood still for several minutes, making sure Filch was gone. When they were certain he'd moved on, Sirius shifted slightly so that he was no longer pressing her against the wall.

"That was quite fun," Samantha said to him as he pulled out his wand to provide them with a little light. "Besides the threat of a possible detention."

"Have you even had a detention before?" he asked her, fairly certain he already knew the answer.

"No," she replied. "And I'd prefer to keep it that way, thank you."

He shook his head at her. "I need to have a chat with James about you. We need to fix you."

"There is nothing wrong with never having a detention, thank you."

"Sure," he agreed. "If you don't want much fun in your life."

"You don't need to break rules to have fun," she argued.

"Really? You admitted that running from Filch was fun. What would you have been doing if we hadn't been attempting to escape a detention?"

She glanced down, muttering something under her breath.

Sirius grinned at her. "I'm sorry, what was that again? I didn't quite catch it."

She glared up at him. "Studying."

"And that sounds like loads of fun," he said to her with a nod.

"Shut up," she replied. "You're a terrible influence, you realize."

"Yes, and I am quite proud of this fact. You should have seen Peter before I got a hold of him. He'd never pulled a prank in his life." Sirius shook his head. "And his talents would have been wasted if he'd never realized them."

"I'm going to tell James you're taking all the credit," Samantha warned him. "I don't think he'll be too pleased."

"You should know by now that I am not scared of James."

"Padfoot!"

Their gazes turned to the door when a voice hissed loudly from the corridor. Sirius grimaced deeply.

"Unless he catches me holed up in a broom cupboard with his best mate."

Samantha smiled at Sirius as he hurriedly stepped away from her, moving towards the door.

"I won't allow him to murder you," she assured him.

Sirius glanced back at her with a snort. "Thanks, but you know James. I highly doubt that will work."

Samantha shrugged as James once again hissed for Sirius from the other side of the door. With a shake of his head, Sirius turned back to the door and jerked it opened. He was met with the sight of an empty corridor.

"Prongs," he sighed. "You can stop hiding."

A moment later, James appeared right before him as he pulled off his invisibility cloak, attempting to fixed his messier-than-usual hair.

"Hello there, Padfoot," he said cheerfully with a grin. "Fancy meeting you here."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

James shrugged. "I was on my way to the kitchens," he explained, "When I heard Filch yelling about students out of bed. Since you haven't been seen since dinner, I figured it was probably you. So I followed and figured that you were around here somewhere. And I was right."

"Congratulations, Prongs," Sirius said dryly. "You deserve a prize."

"So?" James questions, his face suddenly turning impatient. "What happened with Sam? Did you find her?"

"I did," Sirius replied, leaning against the doorframe.

James sighed in frustration when Sirius did not offer anymore. "And?"

"Ask her yourself."

James looked confused for a brief moment until Samantha moved forward, appearing beside Sirius. James glanced between the two for a moment before his jaw dropped opened, his eyes widening.

"What…what…what are the two of you doing in a broom cup-" He broke off suddenly and turned a sharp gaze to Sirius. "Sirius," he growled.

"It's not what it looks like."

"What the bloody hell is it then? Because from my point of view, it looks as if my two best mates are holed up in a broom cupboard after one went looking for the other to apologize for being a prat. What am I supposed to think? What else would the two of you be doing out so late?"

Sirius exchanged a look with Samantha. "Well…"

The hesitation was enough for James. With a cry of outrage, James launched himself at Sirius, grabbing hold of him by the front of his robes.

"James," Samantha exclaimed in surprise.

"Get off me," Sirius grunted, shoving at James. "Nothing happened, we were only trying to avoid a detention."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Honestly," Samantha spoke up in an exasperated voice, pulling at James's arm in an attempt to get him to release Sirius. "Do you really think I was snogging him?"

"Thank you for that," Sirius grumbled as James paused to consider her words. "Not insulting at all."

"Get off of him," Samantha ignored Sirius, her hand still on James's arm.

James turned his gaze to her. Her blue eyes stared back at him calmly. He stared at her a moment before dropping his gaze.

"Fine," he muttered, allowing Samantha to pull him away from Sirius. His frown deepened as he stared at Samantha's arm as she gently pulled him away. She realized too late that her sleeves had been pushed up, revealing where her arms had begun to bruise. "What happened to your arm?"

He caught it before she was able to pull it out of reach, grasping it gently in his hands, studying her angry red forearm. He looked back up at her questioningly, but she refused to meet his gaze, casting a quick glance to Sirius. James did not miss it.

"Did you do this?" he demanded angrily.

"What?" Sirius looked genuinely shocked at the accusation. "I would _never_-"

"Then who did it?" James asked more forcefully, turning his gaze back to Samantha, whose eyes were glued to the wall. "Sam, tell me."

She was silent a moment longer before replying. "Oliver," she said softly.

James's grip on her arm tightened momentarily before he realized what he was doing and let it go. "What? What were you doing talking to him?"

She scowled. "He followed me from dinner. It wasn't exactly a choice I made."

"And what did he want?"

She shook her head. "Nothing important."

"But you had to go and make him angry."

She shrugged. "It's not that difficult to do."

James's face darkened. "I'll be having a word with him."

"I don't think that will be necessary, actually," Samantha said with a shake of a head and a small smile. "I believe Sirius may have scared him off."

"Really?"

James's gaze swiveled back to Sirius, who shrugged. "I just told him off," he told him. "Nothing special. And he backed down. I don't know him enough to know if he'll really stay away or not but I think he will at least for the time being."

"Well, what about-"  
"James," Samantha cut him off sharply, rubbing her forehead. "I'd quite liked to stop thinking about it for a bit if you'd please."

"But-"

"It's late, Prongs," Sirius interjected, pushing away from the doorframe. "We ought to go back to the common room. If you really want to discuss if further, wait until the morning after we all get some sleep."

He glanced at Samantha, who nodded in agreement, consenting to talking to James about it the following day if he really wanted to. James sighed heavily and glanced between the two of them.

"Fine, fine," he grumbled. "Let's get going, then. And you do realize I'll get in trouble for returning without food, don't you? I was supposed to be bringing Remus chocolate cake."

"That's not our fault," Sirius argued. "Besides, I believe Sam ate all the chocolate cake anyway."

Both boys laughed at the glare Samantha shot Sirius's way. The remaining journey to Gryffindor Tower was uneventful. Filch seemed to have moved on to a different part of the castle as there was no sign of him. The portrait of the Fat Lady scolded them before swinging opened to admit them after James supplied the password ("Balderdash.").

"I'm off to bed," Samantha said to the two of them when they stepped into the nearly deserted common room.

James nodded. "We'll talk in the morning, yeah?"

"Yes," she replied. "If that's what you want, I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight." She glanced at Sirius briefly, a small smile gracing her lips, before she turned to head to the staircase that lead to the girls' dorms.

Sirius watched her go, hesitating for only a brief moment before moving towards her retreating form.

"Sam," he called to her. She turned towards him, an eyebrow raised in question.

"Yes?"

He shifted under her gaze, forgetting for a moment what it was he wanted to say.

"I just…I didn't get a chance to say earlier…I think that anyone," his grey eyes held her gaze steadily, "Who treats a girl such as you with anything but the highest respect...Well, they don't deserve what they have, and if they never learn to fully appreciate what they have, they will never be truly happy."

Surprise flashed across her eyes at his words. After a moment of studying his face, she slowly nodded. "Thank you," she said softly. "Really. For everything." Samantha moved closer to him and, pushing herself up onto her toes, pecked him quickly on the cheek. It happened so fast that Sirius did not know what was happening until it was over. "Goodnight, Sirius."

He watched her disappear up the stairs, his hand coming up to lightly touch his cheek where she had kissed him.

"You're smiling like an idiot, mate."

Sirius turned at James's voice to find him staring at him with both eyebrows raised.

"I thought nothing happened between the two of you?"

"I thought so, too. We agreed to pretend I never asked her on a date."

James gave him a grin. "Well, perhaps she'll end up changing her mind," he said as the two of them began to make their way towards their dorm. "That certainly seemed promising."

Sirius only shrugged, not quite as hopeful as James seemed to be. He'd seen the look in her eyes when he'd asked her to Hogsmeade, when she'd spoken of her relationship with Oliver. He could not see her changing her mind. But in one night, their relationship had been mended from when he'd made a mistake. And he thought that perhaps he could grow used to being only a friend to Samantha Dawson.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**It seems my weekly updates keep being pushed back a day. I'm hoping the next installment is up by Wednesday so I can try to stick to that day for updates. But no promises. A huge thanks to those that reviewed last chapter. I appreciate and love hearing your feedback!**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Thirteen

James waited in the common room for Samantha late the next morning. He knew that she did not want to talk about what had happened the previous night, and he would not give her an opportunity to disappear for the entire day. His want to talk to her was not just to settle his own worry. Adrien had entrusted him to look out for his little sister while she was at school, and no matter how much she despised it, he took the task seriously.

It did not take her long to emerge from her room. She was alone, luckily, and though her face fell when she found him waiting for her, she did not look surprised. She'd known deep down that he would not allow the subject to drop. He stood as she approached, and when she stopped in front of him, bidding him good morning, he suggested they take a walk, to which she'd agreed.

They danced around the subject at first, talking about things such as homework and the quickly approaching first quidditch match of the season. James would have liked to go out to the grounds, but the skies were overcast, the heavy clouds threatening the first snow of the year, a cold bite to the wind. So they settled themselves onto a sill of a large window, as close to the cold grounds as they dared.

Once they were seated on the sill facing one another, James wasted no more time in breaching the subject that they had thus far carefully avoided.

"You said he'd followed you from dinner?"

Samantha nodded, her gaze turning out to the grounds below. "That's what I gathered. It's highly unlikely we just happened to run across one another."

James scowled deeply. "He won't take a hint, will he? It was made perfectly clear that he was to stay away from you. What was it he wanted?"

She shrugged. "He wished to know what exactly was going on between Sirius and I. When I told him nothing he…"

"What? He what?"

"He wanted to know if I would consider taking him back."

James snorted, shaking his head. "Please tell me you told him no."

Samantha narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not an idiot, James."

"So what did he do when you told him no, then?"

She shrugged, but did not answer. James frowned.

"Sam," he said warningly.

"Alright," she relented before mumbling, "He tried to kiss me. And when I shoved him away, he became angry. That's when he grabbed me."

James bristled at her words. "That bastard," he muttered. "I had a feeling he'd eventually try to get you to get back with him. I guess I didn't warn him off enough."

"No," she replied quickly. "Just let it drop. Sirius already warned him off; Oliver didn't look happy. He probably won't bother me again. He'll be done with school in June and then I'll never have to see him again. Just let it go. Please, James."

James continued to frown at her for a long moment before he reluctantly gave in.

"Alright," he sighed. "But if he so much as looks at you again, I'll hex him until his face is so swollen he won't be able to see anything at all."

Despite herself, she gave him a small smile. "There'd be no stopping you?"

"I'd lock you in a broom cupboard if I had to," he informed her. "And put Remus outside the door to guard you. He's quite scary when he wants to be, y'know."

She giggled softly. "He's got the ferocity of a teddy bear, James."

James grinned at her. "Oh, you'd be surprised. You've never seen him lose his temper."

"Perhaps because I've never pushed him to do such."

James scoffed. "Remus can be very sensitive. It doesn't always take much to push him."

"If you say so," Samantha said with a shrug. "But I'm fairly certain that if you have me locked in a broom cupboard, he will let me go rather than stand outside to make sure I don't get out."

"You're probably right," James agreed. "But that is where the threatening comes in."

"If you ever lock me in a broom cupboard, James Potter, I swear Oliver McCalman will be the least of your worries."

James laughed at her threat, but it sounded more nervous that amused, and his hand came up to ruffle his hair.

"Right," he said. "I'd never actually do it."

"Sure you wouldn't," Samantha replied, giving him a knowing look. "You might not be able to go through with such a threat with me, but there are some that you wouldn't hesitate to lock in a broom cupboard for your own amusement."

James appeared thoughtful for a moment. "You're giving me ideas, you know. I ought to enlist your help every now and then."

"No thank you. I'll leave that to you and your friends."

He nodded. "That's probably a good thing, really. I fear Sirius would think I'm trying to replace him."

She grinned wryly. "He probably would," she agreed.

They fell silent, and Samantha's gaze turned back to the grounds below. James studied her for a long moment before he broke the silence.

"It's a good thing he went to find you last night."

She shrugged, laying her head on her knees. "I suppose it was."

"How much did you tell him?"

She was silent for a moment before softly saying, "Everything."

James nodded. "He's a good guy, you know."

He saw her stiffen ever so slightly.

"I know, James," she sighed.

"I wouldn't let him talk to you if I thought he was going to hurt you."

"I know, James."

"You should give him a chance."

Samantha remained silent and watched as a group of first years braved the cold to walk along the bank of the lake. James watched her as she tried to ignore his last comment.

"He's nothing like Oliver, you know."

"His past relationships say otherwise," she replied quietly.

"I know he's never been the best when it came to relationships."

She snorted softly. "You can't even call them relationships."

"No," James agreed. "You can't. But do you know why he moves from girl to girl? Why he's never given a relationship a go?" She did not answer but he didn't expect her to. "Sirius himself doesn't really know, I'm sure. He's grown up in a family who slowly came to want nothing to do with him. In order to balance, when he was at school he came to want to be wanted more than most would. And the girls he frequents satisfy that longing."

She'd finally turned her gaze away from the window and was watching him, slight surprise in her eyes.

"There's a lot of reasons he's avoided any serious relationships. But the main reason is he doesn't want to let anyone too close. Because if he does, he's putting himself at risk to not being wanted anymore. He's never taken a girl on an official date for this reason. He's never wanted to put himself out there to be hurt. Until now. If you think about it, the two of you have quite a bit in common."

"I never…gave much thought as to why he occupied his time with various girls. I thought he just enjoyed it."

"That's what he'd have people think," James replied with a slight smile. "But Sirius is a very complex person."

"I'm beginning to see that."

"Listen," he sighed. "I'm not asking you to completely trust him. I know it will take a lot for you to be able to do that. I just think you should give him a chance. Go to Hogsmeade with him. It won't hurt anything. It doesn't have to be more than that date."

Samantha regarded him closely. She'd be lying to herself if she said she didn't want to go with Sirius to Hogsmeade. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that she was letting her fear to get the best of her.

"I don't know…"

"Please, Sam. It'll be good for the both of you. I don't think you'll regret it. It's just a few hours, and it can stop there if that's what you want."

She sighed heavily and forced herself to swallow her fear.

"Hey," James said, touching her arm when she did not answer. "I promise, he's not going to eat you." A grin slowly spread across his face. "And he only bites occasionally."

She found herself returning his smile. "I'll bet he's moved on…doesn't even want to go with me anymore."

James laughed. "Are you kidding? All he's planning now is to hang out with us in Hogsmeade. Going with you instead sounds like a much better plan."

She nodded, her smile dimming ever so slightly as she shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure, James." He opened his mouth to argue, but she did not give him the chance to speak. "I'm not saying no. I just…I want to think on it. It's three weeks away. I've got time. Just…don't tell him. It'd be best he didn't know I was reconsidering if I can't bring myself to change my mind."

"I don't think I'll let you," James informed her. "But I won't tell him so long as you promise to reconsider."

She nodded, flashing him a grateful smile. "I promise."

* * *

And she upheld that promise, though she found herself going back and forth on her decision of what she was going to do. On good days, she was able to convince herself to go up to Sirius the next day and tell him that she'd love to go to Hogsmeade with him. But she always found a reason to not speak to him about it at the last moment, reasons such as she did not want to distract him from the Defense Against the Dark Arts essay he was working on or Morgan Devereux was sitting within earshot. On bad days, she was just as terrified as she had been when he had been asking her to accompany him to Hogsmeade, and nothing she told herself would make that fear go away. It was an endless battle within herself, one that she was beginning to think she would not win.

James was beginning to grow impatient. After nearly a week had passed, he began to corner her to ask her if she had made a decision yet, worried that her silence meant that she had not changed her mind. To quiet him and avoid an argument, she always assured him that she would speak to Sirius eventually. This only worked the first few times before James caught on and accused her of not changing her mind at all. He only backed away when she told him that his constant questions where making it hard for her be able to push the fear aside, which was true for the most part as he made her more nervous about the prospect of accepting the date every time he spoke to her about it.

She found herself avoiding Sirius at times for she found that she was unable to stop thinking about the talk she and James had had whenever she was in his company. She managed to make her avoidance go unnoticed, at least by Sirius. James seemed to see right through her, and whenever she spit out an excuse, he would glare at her. She ignored him.

Another week passed in this manner, and come the morning of Gryffindor's first quidditch match, she still had not spoken to Sirius. She was beginning to wonder if she ever would.

The match was against Ravenclaw, and after breakfast, Samantha trekked down to the quidditch pitch with Amber and Lily. The three of them seated themselves in the stands with Remus and Peter, and not long after, the match was underway. It was brutal from the beginning, neither team wanting to lose their first match of the year. The Gryffindor team was playing harder than they had played before, and it did not take Samantha long to realize that Sirius's head was not in winning the game as much as he was out for vengeance. Even when Oliver McCalman was not even close to having the quaffle in his hands, Sirius seemed determined to aim a bludger at his head. Oliver quickly caught on to Sirius's intentions and focused his attention more on avoiding Sirius's bludgers than in trying to help his team score points.

In the end, Gryffindor managed to come out on top, though as the team gathered around their seeker, Matthew Olmstead, Sirius looked more disappointed that he had not managed to knock Oliver off of his broom than excited that they had won their first game. As the Gryffindors erupted into cheers, James clapped Sirius on the shoulder and the two of them exchanged a brief knowing look.

A few hours later, the Gryffindor common room was in an uproar as a huge celebration was thrown in honor of the team's victory. James was ecstatic as he produced bottles and bottles of butterbeer and piles of sweets and food. Everyone was too excited about their win to question where he had gotten such things, especially on such short notice.

Sirius, hair still damp from his after-game shower, had his arm slung around Mason's shoulders as they both loudly chanted a victory cry. Some of the louder members of Gryffindor house joined in, waving their butterbeer bottles in the air. When they finished their chant, loud cheers filled the room.

Sirius grabbed a bottle of butterbeer and held it out to James.

"To the best captain and chaser Gryffindor has seen in years," he shouted and was answered by loud cheers.

"To the most unrelenting beater ever to fly through the skies! Poor McCalman never stood a chance," he returned, earning even more cheers.

"To the best quidditch team ever to walk through Hogwarts," a seventh year shouted out. This time the cheers than answered were deafening.

Samantha sat off to the side, in a small alcove by a window, watching the festivities. Lily was across the common room as she and Remus spoke to one another. Amber extracted herself from the crowd to join Samantha, seating herself down beside her.

"That was quite a game, wasn't it?"

Samantha smiled, nodded. "It was. I know James is happy that he managed to win his first game as captain."

Amber turned to look at her, her eyebrows raised. "Sirius seemed quite determined to knock your ex boyfriend off of his broom. Is there any particular reason why that is?"

Samantha shrugged and shook her head. "No, I can't imagine why."

Amber was not fooled. "He knows, doesn't he? He knows all about your relationship with Oliver. How did he find out?"

There was no avoiding the subject now. "A couple of weeks back," she explained. "He ran into the two of us…chatting. And I ended up telling him the whole story."

"And now he's defending your honor," Amber exclaimed, excitement lighting up her eyes.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Samantha muttered at her. "He was doing no such thing."

"Perhaps it's a little dramatic," Amber agreed. "But he was definitely telling him to back off. The boy likes you, Sam. I can't believe you turned him down."

"Well, I…" Samantha shifted uncomfortably. "I've been reconsidering, you know. Only I'm not sure what to say."

If Amber had looked excited before, it was nothing compared to how she looked now. "Oh, just put the boy out of his misery and tell him you'll go with him already. If he knows the story about Oliver than he knows why you turned him down initially. Just tell him you've reconsidered."

"But what if he no longer wants to go to Hogsmeade with me? We haven't touched the subject in weeks. I could make a fool of myself bringing it up now."

Amber's face filled with frustration. "He's going to want to still go with you, Sam. I can promise you that. All you need to do is let him know you want to."

"But-"

"That's it. Listen to me Samantha Dawson. If you have not accepted Sirius's offer by the end of the night, I will just have to do it for you," Amber declared.

"Oh, Amber, you wouldn't."

But the look in Amber's eyes confirmed that yes, indeed she would. And if Samantha thought approaching Sirius herself was bad enough, she did not want to think of how it would feel if Amber ended up doing it for her.

"You and James ought to team up," she muttered darkly, eyes narrowed. "Together the two of you would be unstoppable at pushing people into things."

"Don't act like you're not grateful for the extra boost," Amber replied with a grin. "I've got to be off. I promised I'd spend some time with Mason; we're going to Hogsmeade together next week, you know. I'll be watching you so you'd better get moving."

Samantha crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the wall. "Have fun."

Amber winked at her before pushing herself to her feet and making her way through the crowd towards Mason. Samantha sighed, swinging her legs up onto the alcove, turning her gaze to the dark window, attempting to block out the noise of the party. Normally she enjoyed celebrating right alongside the rest of the house, but tonight her heart was not into it, and if it were not for Amber's threat, she probably would have gone up to her room for the rest of the night.

She saw his reflection in the window before he spoke.

"Are you saving that seat for anyone in particular or may I grace you with my presence?"

She was unable to help the smile that split her lips as she turned. Sirius stood over her, a bottle of butterbeer in each hand.

"The party's being held in the honor of your team," she said, glancing to the center of the room where most were gathered. "Are you sure you want to spend it with me?"

He shrugged, smiling easily down at her. "They won't miss me."

Swinging her feet down to allow him a place to sit, she took the butterbeer bottle he offered her.

"That was quite a game you played today," she commented as he seated himself beside her. She tried to ignore the way his damp hair fell into his grey eyes as he gazed back at her, and she couldn't help but notice how good he smelled fresh from the shower.

Sirius let out a laugh. "So you noticed?"

"It would have been very hard not to. And I can't say I didn't appreciate the gesture. I think I would have liked it even more only if you had managed to knock him off of his broom."

Sirius's face dropped into a scowl. "Don't think I didn't try. But once he caught on to what I was doing it was a bit more difficult. He'll have some nasty bruises though."

Her smile softened as she dropped her gaze down to the butterbeer bottle she clutched in both her hands.

"Thank you," she said to him quietly. "You didn't have to do that. You didn't have to put all the effort into trying to knock him off that broom for me. You didn't have to help me that night or listen to me."

He shook his head at her. "No, I didn't," he agreed. "But it's not that I had to or even just felt like I had to. It's that I _wanted_ to. Surely you know that by now."

"I do now," she replied. "I'm just not used to…having things done for me because someone wanted to do them. Oliver certainly never went out of his way for me."

"But I'm not Oliver, am I?" he asked her softly.

"No," her gaze moved back up to his. "You're not."

Surprise briefly shot through his eyes when she admitted her realization out loud. He didn't quite know what to say after that, but she saved him the trouble of figuring it out when she spoke after a short silence.

"Look," Her gaze dropped once more, and she shifted slightly, causing him to frown at how uncomfortable she had suddenly become. "I know I told you no about Hogsmeade but..if I were to tell you I've reconsidered, would you still want to go with me? If you don't already have other plans, that is."

His heart pounded in his chest when what she said sunk in, and he dared to hope that after all this time, she really was agreeing to a date. When he replied, the Marauder in him was unable to help teasing her a bit.

"I do already have plans." Even with her head ducked down, he could see her face fall, and he was unable to tease any longer. "But I have no problem with standing James up, so long as you don't mind dealing with the potential whining that will follow."

Her gaze jerked up when she realized he had only been teasing her, and a smile slowly spread across her face. "If he could not whine about this, he'd find something else to whine about anyway."

Sirius inclined his head in agreement. "Is it a date then?"

She nodded. "Yes. It is."

He grinned broadly at her as a few members of the quidditch team shouted at him to join them. Sirius waved at them to tell them he was coming before turning his attention back to her.

"I'll see you later then?"

She nodded. "Go celebrate. We can talk more later."

He made to stand then, but before he did, he leaned towards her and brushed his lips against her forehead. As she watched him go, her heart skipped a beat, but this time, it was a feeling she welcomed.

* * *

The party lasted well into the morning hours. After her conversation with Sirius, Samantha's spirits had lifted and she had joined in the festivities. The celebration eventually died down, and long after most of the house had gone to bed, Sirius and Samantha sat tucked in a corner, speaking quietly together. Before he'd gone to bed, James had shot her several satisfied grins, which she had pointedly ignored. Sirius, on the other hand, had grown tired of the looks, and had fixed the problem with a well-aimed stinging hex. It was nearing four in the morning when the two of them finally called it a night, and when Samantha collapsed onto her bed, she was unable to wipe the smile off of her face.

She had no idea what time it was when she woke up later on, but her eyes still burned from exhaustion, a consequence of staying up so late. She rolled over onto her back with a sigh, blinking her eyes. Her stomach told her that it was hungry, but she didn't make to move. She was content to just lay in bed for awhile.

Her curtains were suddenly yanked opened, startling away the remainder of her exhaustion. She expected to find either Amber or Lily standing over her, but neither one of them is what she found. Morgan stood over her, her face twisted into deep scowl. Shock played across Samantha's face at the intrusion as she pushed herself into a sitting position.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed angrily.

"I've heard an interesting rumor this morning," Morgan snapped at her. "I thought you and Sirius were only friends."

Inwardly, Samantha groaned. She'd only agreed to go to Hogsmeade with Sirius just the night before, and already, the word was spreading.

"We are," she replied.

Morgan scoffed at her response. "Please, Samantha. Cut the act. You don't go on a date with a friend."

"This isn't your business," Samantha ground out between clenched teeth. "So stop pretending it is."

Morgan narrowed her brown eyes dangerously, and she stared down at Samantha for a long moment before saying, "I'll make it my business if you don't watch yourself."

With one last sharp look, she turned on her heels and stormed from the room. As Samantha allowed herself to fall back to the bed with a loud groan, all she could bother herself to worry about was the fact that Morgan had left her curtains opened, and it would take effort to close them again.

"Why did Morgan look so angry? I passed her on the staircase and had to move out of her way before she ran right through me."

Samantha glanced over at Lily, watching as the redhead approached her.

"She opened my curtains," Samantha muttered in response. "And didn't close them when she left."

Lily frowned as she slid onto the edge of Samantha's bed. "And that's why she's so angry? Because of the curtains?"

"Well, no," Samantha replied as she once again pushed herself up, this time much more willingly. "She was made about…other things."

Lily raised an eyebrow at her and stared for a long moment.

"You don't have to dance around the subject," she finally said. "Amber told me you agreed to go on a date with Sirius last night."

"Oh," was all she could manage to say for a moment. "So you heard it only from Amber then?"

"Well," Lily shifted slightly. "I asked her. After I heard some talk at breakfast."

Samantha groaned loudly and leaned her head back against her headboard. "Fantastic. It happened only just last night and I'll bet half the school already knows."

"If it makes you feel any better," Lily told her, "Sirius has nothing to do with the word spreading. Seems like he's sleeping in just as late as you. What time did the two of you go to bed last night?"

Samantha shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "Nearly four."

Lily rolled her eyes. "No wonder."

She turned her gaze away and Samantha frowned as she watched her silently.

"Why Sirius Black, Sam?" Lily finally asked quietly. "Why him? You could do better."

"Could I?" Samantha asked, causing Lily to turn her startled green eyes back to her. "Is he really so bad? Don't get me wrong, Lily. It's just one date. But…he's descent. He's got a few issues but he's a good person."

"The two of us used to talk about him and how he moved around from girl to girl. How he always strung Morgan along."

"I didn't know him. He's not as bad as I once thought."

Lily nodded and glanced down at her lap. Samantha sighed and scooted closer to her.

"Nothing's going to change Lily. It's just one date. It doesn't mean anything."

"Yes it does," Lily said, glancing back up at her. "And I'm happy for you. Really, I am. I think he may be good for you, Sam."

Samantha gave her a small smile. "Maybe you're right. And maybe spending more time with them will help you to warm up with James."

Lily grimaced before returning her smile. "Potter put you up to this didn't he?"

"Not this time," Samantha assured her.

"That's not any better."

Samantha laughed at the slightly horrified look on Lily's face.

"Don't worry, I won't bring it up too much," she promised.

Lily nodded and gave her a grateful smile. Samantha's stomach suddenly growled loudly, remind her how hungry she was.

"You ought to get out of bed," Lily laughed. "I came up to make sure you were still alive. Lunch is in just a few minutes."

Samantha sighed. "I should get dressed, shouldn't I?"

Lily nodded. "And shower while you're at it."

She giggled at Samantha's answering glare.

"I'm kidding. Come on," she said, pushing herself from the bed and reaching out towards Samantha. "Get up."

Samantha groaned loudly as Lily pulled her to her feet.

"Never let me stay up so late again," she mumbled as she slowly made her way towards the bathroom.

"You say that as if you would listen to me when I told you to go to bed. I'll wait for you in the common room."

Samantha dismissed her with a wave of her hand. As she turned the shower on, she was unable to help the relief she felt that Lily was now supportive of her date with Sirius. It made it all the better.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**Sorry for the wait. This just didn't seem to want to come out and I didn't want to force it. I think I like the finished product though. It's a little bit of a shorter update than normal. I was going to put in another scene between this one and Christmas break, but I think now I'm going ahead to Christmas, so this seemed like a good place to cut off the chapter. As always, a huge thanks to those that reviewed. I really love your feedback!**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Fourteen

The week leading up to the Hogsmeade trip seemed to pass by quickly enough. Samantha quickly learned to just ignore the stares and whispers that followed her through the corridors. It was no secret that Sirius Black was taking Samantha Dawson to Hogsmeade, and it seemed like a popular topic between numerous groups of girls. Sirius didn't even seem to notice the stares that followed him or the sour looks Morgan would occasionally throw in his direction.

With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, the homework load seemed heavier than ever. But come Saturday morning, their homework was the last thing on the student's minds, and they instead were looking forward to a day spent in the village, being around their friends and shopping for Christmas presents for their loved ones.

After breakfast, Amber was quick to drag Samantha back to their room to get ready for the day in Hogsmeade. Lily tagged along, and tried to keep herself from laughing as she watched the two of them argue back and forth as Amber insisted Samantha make herself more presentable for her date.

"I'm not wearing that."

Samantha glared at the lipstick Amber was currently holding out to her, her arms crossed across her chest.

"Why not?" Amber asked. "It's always a good idea to emphasize the lips. And boys are always appreciative of makeup."

"I wear hardly any makeup," Samantha argued. "And Sirius asked me on a date anyway. I don't feel as if I need to put on heavier makeup for the date. It's not formal or anything."

Amber rolled her eyes, but dropped her hand and turned her attention back to her own makeup. "Suit yourself."

"Don't listen to her," Lily spoke up with a smile. "She's just bitter because we rarely listen to her."

Amber used the mirror to shoot Lily a foul look, but the way her eyes were dancing in amusement gave away the fact that she was only joking. Samantha laughed at them both as she moved into the bedroom, grabbing her cloak off of her bed and slipping it on.

"I've got to go meet Sirius," she told them, picking up her scarf. "I'll see you later?"

"At dinner," Amber called back. "Where we expect to hear every last detail."

"Have fun," Lily told her. After a moment's though, she added, "But not too much."

"Thanks, mum," Samantha replied as she waved at them before slipping from the room.

She wasn't sure what to expect when she stepped into the common room. She glanced around warily, nearly expecting James to burst towards her from out of nowhere. But she found the only Marauder in sight to be her date for the day, who was leaning against the back of the sofa with his hands stuffed in his pockets as he waited for her. He chuckled when he saw the look on her face.

"Don't worry," he told her. "Remus and Peter have already taken him to Hogsmeade with the promise to keep him out of our sight."

She laughed softly. "How big of a fight did he put up?"

"Well, he was planning to wait for Lily to come down so he could give her one more chance to agree to go with him. So he was a bit difficult. But nothing we couldn't handle."

She shook her head with a small smile as Sirius pushed away from the back of the couch.

"Shall we?" he asked, sweeping his hand towards the common room entrance.

Her smile grew as she stepped forward. When they stepped into the corridor, Sirius offered her his arm, and after only a brief hesitation, she slid her arm through his and allowed him to lead her through the castle. They chatted as they walked, ignoring anyone they passed. The castle was fairly empty; most students who would be going to Hogsmeade had already left.

Though their arms were linked together, she kept a certain distance between them, a line that she unconsciously drew that he knew better to try and cross without permission. But when they stepped out into the brisk air, she stepped a little closer to him in an attempt to ward off the chill. The walk to the village was a bit slow; a fresh snow had fallen overnight, leaving them with quite a bit of snow to trek through. Luckily, the students who had made the walk before them had packed the snow down to where they did not have to fight through the deep powder, though the packed down snow was more slippery.

"Well," Sirius said when they finally stepped into the village. "Where would you like to go first?"

She glanced around at the different shops, all packed with students.

"I don't particularly care," she told him with a shrug. "You pick."

"Alright," he agreed. "But just remember that you told me that I could pick."

That was how she found herself in Zonko's, as Sirius claimed that he needed to replenish his stock of Dungbombs. Sirius spent several minutes browsing the store and Samantha followed, not having anything in particular that she wanted to buy, though she was tempted to seek out something for James.

"Hmmm," Sirius said thoughtfully, scrutinizing an unlabeled jar of murky green liquid, stopping so suddenly that Samantha nearly ran into him. He took it off of the shelf to study it more closely.

"I wonder what this stuff does."

She moved to stand beside him, studying the jar in his hands. "You could always test it on some poor, unsuspecting Slytherin," she suggested.

Sirius turned his attention away from the jar to grin at her. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

Sirius ended up purchasing the mysterious jar as well as several packs of Dungbombs to get him well through Christmas. They made their way back onto the cold, crowded streets and Sirius looked at her expectantly.

"Now you have to choose," he told her. "Since you made me choose the last time."

She sighed and rolled her eyes slightly. "Fine. Honeydukes, then."

He grinned down at her. "Is your chocolate frog stash depleted or something?"

"Yes," she replied, turning and making her way towards the sweets shop. "Severely depleted. And I'd rather not run out."

He laughed and moved to fall into step with her. "If your chocolate frog obsession is anything like Remus's obsession with all things chocolate, I'm afraid the whole school would be in danger if you ran out."

"It's not an obsession," she argued. "I don't need them."

"Right," he said as they reached to door, watching as she pulled it open. "So let's skip Honeydukes, then."

"That would just be mental," she replied with a shake of her head before stepping into the shop.

Sirius smiled as he followed her inside. He had wanted to stop by Honeydukes, anyway. He already had a book that he planned to give Remus for Christmas, but he, James, and Peter learned long ago that their gifts would always be even more appreciated if they added a bit of something sweet to the package.

In the end, Sirius walked out of the store with a bag filled with Drooble's Best Blowing Gum for Peter, a large chunk of fudge for Remus, and a couple of packages of chocolate frogs that he had managed to slip past Samantha, which he intended to gift to her at Christmas.

Placing a hand on the small of her back, Sirius suggested that they go warm up in the Three Broomsticks, which she agreed to and allowed him to steer her towards the pub. The pub was packed, which came to no surprise considering how cold it was outside, and after pushing their way through the crowd for a few minutes, Sirius managed to find a small table in the back. Shedding their cloaks in the heat of the pub, they seated themselves at the table. Despite the crowd, it only took Madame Rosmerta a few moments to appear to take their orders. With a grin and a wink, Sirius ordered two mugs of warm butterbeer and Madame Rosmerta left them alone once more.

"So," Sirius said as Madame Rosmerta disappeared into the crowd. "Have you done Slughorn's essay yet?"

Samantha folded her arms on the table and leaned forward. "Have you?"

He chuckled and raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you really need me to answer that, Sam?"

She shook her head with a smile. "No, I don't. It was a rather stupid question. But to answer yours, no, I haven't actually. With the Christmas holidays coming up I'm finding it harder and harder to make myself do homework."

Sirius smirked at her. "I think it's my bad habits rubbing off on you, personally."

"Perhaps," Samantha agreed. "Or it could have something to do with the obnoxiously loud uproar in the common room last night while I was making an honest attempt at my homework. You wouldn't know anything about that, though, would you?"

Sirius's smirk widened into a grin, and he launched into a story about how the Marauders had charmed every seat in the common room to send a small jolt of electricity through any first years that sat in them. In the middle of his story, Madame Rosmerta reappeared and set two large mugs of butterbeer in front of them.

Despite the fact that the commotion they had caused, she found herself smiling at his story. She'd always found their harmless pranks amusing. As Sirius talked, she began to feel eyes on her and she glanced over Sirius's should to find Oliver turned in his seat, watching her and Sirius with narrowed eyes. She forced herself to look away, and Sirius broke off mid-sentence from where he was talking about a boy's particularly loud reaction to the prank when he saw the look on her face.

"What is it?"

He turned around and immediately found Oliver, who glared hatefully at him for a moment before turning back around. Sirius was frowning deeply when he turned back to Samantha.

"It was nothing," she told him.

He opened his mouth to argue, but the look on her face made him pause before closing his mouth again, allowing the subject to drop.

"After dinner tonight how would you feel about getting together and working on the potions essay?" he asked her instead.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you asking me on a second date before our first one is over?"

"Well, I wouldn't count homework as a second date, but I can think of a few things we could do to make it count as a date," Sirius replied, giving her a lopsided grin.

Samantha did not answer, only smiled and took a sip of her butterbeer.

"Is that a yes then?" Sirius asked her.

She set her mug back down and replied, "Homework would be great."

He let out a short laugh. "You're not going to make this easy on me, are you?"

Her smile only widened as she took another sip of her butterbeer. As they finished up their drinks, they spoke of whatever came to mind. They were in no hurry to go back out into the cold. What felt like all too soon, the decided that they'd taken up space for long enough in the pub and decided they should probably leave. They realized, with some surprise, that the pub around them had emptied considerably. They had been talking a lot longer than they realized.

"We probably ought to start heading back," Sirius said to her, glancing around. "I'm afraid we've allowed the time to slip right through our fingers."

She was certain that she heard a reluctance in his voice. She felt a little reluctant herself when she agreed and they both stood. Samantha reached into her pocket, pulling out enough coins to cover her drink. Sirius's eyes dropped down to her hand, eying it suspiciously. She frowned at him when she saw the look on his face.

"What?" she asked him.

"What are you doing?"

His eyes were still glued to her hand.

Her frown deepened, her brow furrowing, and she glanced down at the hand that was clutching her coins.

"Paying for my drink," she replied in a voice that suggested she thought he was rather daft for asking when she believed what she was doing was obvious. "I doubt Madame Rosmerta would take it kindly if I were to not pay."

Despite her slightly insulting tone, Sirius laughed and shook his head. "Put those away."

He reached into his own pocket, drawing out enough coins to cover both drinks, setting them down on the table.

"You're not paying. This is a _date_. On a proper date, the guy," he grinned at her, pointing to himself, "That's me, pays for his date. Which is you."

He stared at her with raised eyebrows until she gave in, stuffing her coins back into her pocket with a glare, though he knew the foul look was only in jest. He chuckled at her as he grabbed both of their cloaks, handing her hers. She slipped into it before wrapping her scarf around her neck, scowling when her long hair became tangled in the material, a problem she seemed to have no matter how many times she put her scarf on.

Sirius watched her attempt to free her hair with a smile tugging at his lips. When she glanced his way, her scowl deepened.

"Is this funny for you?"

"No," he said with a shake of his head, his smile growing. "Not at all."

"Oh, stuff it," she snapped.

Still grinning, Sirius stepped close to her.

"Let me," he said softly, pushing her hands away.

Gently, he unwrapped her scarf, untangling her hair, before rewrapping it around her neck, carefully pulling her hair from it. She ignored the shiver that went up her spine when his fingers brushed against her neck.

She smiled up at him with a quiet 'Thank you,' highly aware of the fact that he still held the ends of the scarf in his hands. She found herself unable to look away from his gaze, and though her mind had danced around the subject for weeks, she asked herself how she had fallen for Sirius Black.

The spell was broken when he began to tilt his head towards hers. She stepped back, immediately halting his movement.

"We probably ought to be heading back," she told him. "Lest James send out a search party."  
Sirius chuckled, releasing her scarf and taking the slightest step back. "You're probably right. Shall we?"

His hand returned to the small of her back. Even though the pub was no longer crowded, he still steered her as they wove between tables, heading towards the exit. When they once again stepped out into the streets of Hogsmeade, there were not nearly as many students around, the cold weather having driven many of them back to the castle early. In no particular hurry, they slowly began to make their way back towards Hogwarts, picking their way up the now well-worn, snow-covered path.

"So was it as painful as you imagined it to be?" he asked her as they walked.

She glanced at him, crossing her arms over her chest with a shrug. She did not answer, and he realized how much it drove him crazy when she opted to remain silent.

"It couldn't have been that bad," he said rather indignantly when she remained silent.

She laughed at the look he was giving her, and shook her head, deciding to put him out of his misery.

"It was fun," she admitted, and Sirius's face instantly lit up.

"So you're saying that you enjoyed yourself?"

Her lips tilted into a smile. "Yes."

"That it wasn't as scary as you anticipated?"

"Yes."

"That you made an initial mistake when you turned me down?"

"Sirius," she sighed heavily, shaking her head. "I admitted that I had fun. Is that not enough?"

"For me?" He grinned down at her. "Never."

She was unable to stop herself from returning his grin. "I had a lot of fun. It was a mistake when I turned you down." She hesitated before she added softly, "It wasn't anything like I anticipated."

He stopped then, turning to face her. She looked up at him, several emotions playing about her face.

"You know I would never hurt you, don't you?" he asked her softly, his hand coming up to rest on her shoulders.

She gave him a small smile. "It's taken me awhile," she replied. "But I think I'm beginning to see that now."

"I like you a lot, Samantha," he told her, his grey eyes searching hers carefully to make sure he would not press too far. One of his hands came up to brush a few stray hairs out of her face. "But I don't want anything to come between us, to make you uncomfortable. So it's all up to you. If you want things to end here, they can. And we'll stay friends."

She stared up at him for so long that he began to think that he had said something wrong. Her eyes gave away nothing, and he wished that he could read her mind. Perhaps all of this had been a mistake.

"Sam, I'm sorry," he said in an attempt to fill the silence. "I should have never pressed you into this. We can just pretend it didn't happen. We can-"

A small shake of her head cut him off, and she smiled up at him.

"There's one problem about pretending this didn't happen."

His brow furrowed, and once again he found himself wanting to know what was going on in her mind.

"What's that?"

She was suddenly on her toes, her right hand resting on the back of his head, pulling him closer. Their lips met, and though Sirius was surprised, he only hesitated for a brief moment before he kissed her back. Their kiss only lasted a few seconds, but he did not care. It had still happened.

"We'd have to pretend that that didn't happen," she whispered as she pulled away.

For once in his life, Sirius was speechless. She stood there smiling at him before she turned and began walking towards the castle once again. He recovered quickly, he would not be Sirius Black if he hadn't, and he jogged to catch up to her, falling into step with her.

"Does this mean that if I asked you on another date, you'd say yes?"

"Well," she replied, "I happen to know someone who has yet to do his potions essay. And I still need to do mine." She glanced up at him out of the corner of her eye.

He smiled, letting out a short laugh. "I thought we'd agreed that homework doesn't exactly count as a date?"

"I guess not," she said with a small shrug. "But if you play your cards right, perhaps I'll let you kiss me again."

"And that," he took her hand in his, "Sounds like the perfect way to spend the evening."

* * *

**End Chapter**


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**Soooo sorry for the long wait. My computer died, luckily on the same day I had already planned to buy a new laptop but unluckily before I was able to pull all of my files off. So I first had to wait for my new computer to come in, which it did last week, then I had to wait until I could get the files pulled off my hard drive, which I did just today. So here is the next chapter finally. A little longer than normal to make up for my absence. I did still write while I was waiting for my old files. Just for future reference, if I have an unexpected delay such as this that will keep me from updating, I will post it to my profile if I am able. I struggled with this chapter, despite the length of time I had to work on it. Hopefully it turned out okay. **

**A huge thanks to those that reviewed last chapter! I love to hear your feedback!**

**Edit July 12, 2011:**** I edited the last section a little to better accomedate coming chapters. Notes on what was changed at the end of the chapter so not to spoil who has not read yet.**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Fifteen

After that day, things seemed to fall together. Sirius and Samantha rarely spent time apart. At meals, Samantha, Lily, and Amber joined the Marauders, though Lily sat herself as far from James as she could. James seemed quite pleased, if not a little surprised, at the outcome of the trip to Hogsmeade. A part of him had expected the date to end badly, though he was glad it didn't.

By the time a week had passed, the student body considered Sirius Black and Samantha Dawson a couple. They didn't consider themselves as such, but both James and Amber told them that that was only putting off the inevitable. They paid them no mind. They would take things at their own pace.

Christmas break arrived quickly, and was much welcomed by the sixth years as it meant a break from what seemed like an endless stream of homework. All four Marauders would be remaining at the castle over the holiday. James's parents had gone on holiday in France and Remus and Peter had decided to stay as well. When Lily found out, she deemed that it would be a miracle if the castle was still standing when the students returned from the holidays.

Sirius asked Samantha to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays. A part of her was tempted to agree. But she missed her family dearly, and always relied on the brief winter break to allow her to see her family again before the summer. He seemed a bit disappointed when she told him so, but he knew how close she was to her family. He knew how much she worried about them. He knew that it would be good for her to see them in person, to be able to reach out and touch them to assure herself that they were all still safe.

Samantha spent the train ride to King's Cross with Lily and Amber, who were both going home as well. A part of the ride was spent talking about Samantha's current relationship with Sirius, but Samantha steered the conversation to something else as soon as she was able. By the time the train was slowing down, the three girls had discussed their various plans for Christmas and had promised each other that they would get together for New Year's.

Most of the students went home for the holidays and as such, Samantha found the platform to be just as packed as ever when she stepped off of the train. If not for the cold bite to the air, she could have closed her eyes and pretended that she was coming home for the summer. She loved Hogwarts, but she missed home dearly when she was at school.

After a quick farewell hug with Lily and Amber, she scanned the crowded platform for her brother. It only took a moment before she spotted him standing apart from all of the reuniting families. She quickly made her way through the crowd, and he grinned when he caught sight of her. A few seconds later she was wrapping her arms around him tightly as he did the same, his height difference enabling him to briefly lift her off of her feet.

"Things aren't the same when you're not around," he told her as they released one another. "The house is far too quiet."

She laughed softly. "I would have thought training would keep you too busy to miss me."

Adrien shrugged. "Moody likes to work us hard alright. But every time I say something about it dad and Uncle Chris tell me to suck it up."

"They have a right to tell you off for complaining about training. They had to go through it once, too."

He scowled, reaching out and shoving her lightly. "You're supposed to be on my side."

She grinned. "Sorry, that's not how it works. I tend to side with whatever's right. Which is why I never side with James. And rarely with you."

"Speaking of James," Adrien said, ignoring the insult.

Samantha shook her head. "Any sentence that starts with 'Speaking of James' can't be a good one."

Adrien shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "I have to agree with you on that." Samantha frowned at how serious his blue eyes turned as her brother's teasing demeanor disappeared.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I got an interesting letter from him."

Groaning loudly, Samantha mentally cursed James for everything that he was worth.

"What's this I hear about you going on a date with Sirius Black? Was all what you told me back in August a lie?"

"Of course not," she replied, shaking her head furiously. "I meant every word."

"At the time."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "This isn't any of your business."

"I beg to differ. I remember the night you broke up with Oliver. Now any boy you date is my business."

She scowled deeply up at him. "I can't believe you've been checking up on me through James."

"I told you I would be," he pointed out. "And it's a good thing I did or who knows when I would have found out that Sirius Black is now your boyfriend."

She laughed shortly. "He's not my boyfriend. You should get a source that doesn't tend to over exaggerate."

"But the two of you went on a date," he argued.

"Yes," she exclaimed. "A date. That's it. I'll admit that something's changed between us but I have no idea where things stand right now. And I won't have any idea until I go back to Hogwarts so if you don't mind, I'd like the subject to drop."

Adrien sighed heavily and ran his hand through his brown hair. "Fine, fine. I suppose I can't stop you anyway. You're old enough to take care of yourself."

"And you're not my father."

"That too," he agreed. "But I'll bet he'd have something to say about you dating a member of the Black family."

Samantha forced the annoyance from her face. "Sirius lives with the Potters now. Dad knows he's not like the rest of his family."

Adrien raised an eyebrow. "So you don't mind if I tell him?"

"Nope. Go right ahead. But tell him the truth, not whatever rubbish James fed you."

"Deal," Adrien replied, moving to grab hold of her belongings. "But that means you're going to have to tell me everything."

"Better you listen to what I tell you than what James does. I can't believe you didn't know better."

"I suppose I should have. But I think he's on the right track, just a little ahead of things."

She shook her head as they began to make their way off of the platform. "I think you're both getting a little ahead of things."

"You're just refusing to see it, Kiwi," he told her, slinging his arm over her shoulders. "But from what I hear, it's only a matter of time."

Underneath his arm, she shrugged her shoulders, but offered no reply. She knew what Adrien said was true. She and Sirius had danced around the subject with the Christmas break bearing down upon them. She'd decided that she'd use their time apart to decide what she wanted to do and to talk to him about it once she returned. At the moment, the only thing she knew that she wanted was to know that they were both on the same page.

"Let's go home," she said to her brother, pushing thoughts from Sirius aside for the moment.

"Brilliant idea," he replied, squeezing her shoulders.

For the moment, all she wanted was to see her family and enjoy the short time she had with them until she went back to school. Everything else could wait.

* * *

Samantha found that some relaxing time spent at home was exactly what she needed to clear her mind, which had seemed to be doing nothing but racing for the past several weeks. While her father, brother, and uncle were at work, she spent time with her aunt and mother. Time spent with anyone else was rare. After she'd been home a week, there had already been three attacks, two on wizarding families and one on a muggle family. It was a very rare occasion for everyone to be home at once.

She passed the time either in the library reading a book or in the kitchen helping her aunt and mother cook. She had never been very talented at cooking, and usually ended up ruining whatever she was attempting to fix, but Tabitha and Elizabeth never missed an opportunity to teach her to cook. Samantha indulged them by allowing them to teach her. It was worth it just to spend more time with her family.

Back at Hogwarts, the Marauders were spending their time doing whatever it was they wished to do, whether it was lounging around the empty common room or using their map to sneak around the castle after hours. They took advantage of the nearly empty castle to plan out several welcome back pranks for the Slytherins, including an elaborate prank that they ended up discarding when they accepted the fact that even with the Invisibility Cloak, they would not be able to sneak into the Slytherin common room.

"I don't think I'll ever eat again," James declared. "The house elves really outdid their selves."

It was the evening of Christmas Day, and after the feast in the Great Hall, the four Maruaders had somehow managed to drag their stuffed bodies back up to the common room where they had not-so-gracefully deposited themselves over various furniture. Sirius and Remus were each sprawled on one end of the couch before the fireplace, Peter was draped in a nearby armchair. James was collapsed on the floor, his feet propped up on the hearth.

"You're a bottomless pit, Prongs," Sirius drawled lazily. "You'll be telling us to sneak down to the kitchens to nick something to eat before the night's over with."

James shrugged, but did not reply. He'd already contemplated doing such a thing in a few hours.

"We could always make a dent into our stash of sweets later," Peter suggested. "Between the four of us, we got a pretty good haul."

"Three. Between the three of you," Remus spoke up with a threatening tone. "None of you will touch any of my sweets."

Sirius snorted loudly. "Don't worry, mate. None of us fancy losing our heads to your wrath, anyway. Pete's lucky he survived the last time you caught him in you stash."

"Don't think you're going to get any sweets from us, Padfoot," James said, tilting his head back to look at him upside down. "You don't have anything to contribute yourself."

Sirius frowned at the hint of bitterness in James's voice. "Do I detect jealousy? Do you have a problem with what your best mate gave you for Christmas? If I recall, a sack of sweets is what she's given you every Christmas since you've been at Hogwarts. You've never had a problem with it before."

"That was before you wormed your way into the mix," James replied rather crossly. "I got a stash of sweets and you got bloody Zonko's in a box."

Sirius's lips tilted into a smile as he thought of the large box currently stowed under his bed. He had woken up this morning to it amongst the rest of his presents at the foot of his bed. When he'd seen that it was from Samantha, he had opened it instantly, and had found it to be full of dozens of items from Zonko's, some he had never had the opportunity to try out. Normally James looked forward to the pile of sweets Samantha gave him each Christmas, but when he had seen what she had given Sirius, he had instantly felt as if he had gotten the short end of the deal, despite Sirius telling him that they could split the box of Zonko's supplies.

"What's wrong, Prongs?" Sirius asked, glancing down at the hazel-eyed boy who was glaring at him. "Are you jealous that you're not her favorite anymore?"

James scoffed loudly. "Hardly. You're just a phase."

Sirius's eyebrows rose. "Really? Just yesterday you were saying that it was only a matter of time before the two of us became official."

"That was before I saw what she got you," James muttered, causing Peter and Remus to burst out laughing.

"You don't wear jealousy well, mate," Peter said between bouts of laughter.

James grumbled something incoherent, crossing his arms over his chest.

As the laughter quieted, the four friends fell into a comfortable silence. It stretched for several long minutes. Peter blinked back sleep, the heavy meal starting to make him tired. Pushing himself up, he muttered something about taking a quick nap before disappearing up the stairs. Remus quickly decided that Peter had the right idea and followed after him. Having been relinquished the entire couch, Sirius slung his legs up onto it, stretching out the length of it. On the floor, James's eyes were closed.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about being jealous of presents much longer," Sirius eventually said. James's eyes cracked open and he turned his head to glance up at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked. "I thought the two of you were moving forward."

Sirius shrugged, shifting a bit on the couch to get more comfortable. "That present is the only sign of life I've seen from her since she left."

"So? She's with her family. I haven't heard from her either, if that makes you feel any better."

"Hardly," Sirius snorted. "We've spent a lot of time together since we went on that date, but she hasn't given me any clue at all as to where we stand."

"Have you tried, I dunno, asking her?"

Sirius rolled his eyes at James's mocking tone. "I don't want to seem like I'm pushing her into anything. I want her to want what she wants and not feel pressured to please anyone."

"I never knew you to be so in-tune with a girl's feelings," James joked, ignoring Sirius's answering glare. "Look," He sighed, pushing himself up so that he could look at Sirius better. "I see what you're doing, trying to not seem like you're pushing her. But I know her and I can tell you that she'll never initiate anything- one of those lingering issues she has after dating Oliver." Sirius's mind jumped to when she had kissed him at the end of their date, but remained silent. That had been kept between the two of them. "So I think that if you want answers, you're going to just have to ask for them. If you're so worried about it, make it clear you aren't trying to push."

Sirius shook his head. "You were right."

"About what?" James asked, brow furrowed.

"She's rather difficult, isn't she?"

James let out a soft laugh. "Mate, you have no idea."

Sirius turned his gaze back to the ceiling, watching the light from the fire play across the surface for a long moment before he said, "Well, it's a good thing I enjoy a challenge."

James laughed softly at that before silence fell again, and neither moved again until Peter and Remus emerged from their naps, arms laden with sweets so that the four of them could stay up long into the night, celebrating the holiday in the best way they knew how- in the company of friends.

* * *

Christmas Day at the Dawson home was a rare time when everyone was able to be home together. At the start of the day, everyone seemed to be holding their breath, on edge and worried that something would happen to call someone away. But as time went on, it seemed that things were going to stay quiet for the holiday, that even Death Eaters took Christmas off.

The day had started late, and Samantha woke to the smell of her mother cooking Christmas brunch and a decent-sized pile of packages on the floor at the foot of her bed. She smiled as she seated herself cross-legged on the floor beside them, pulling them into her lap one by one.

Lily had sent her a bundle of muggle books, and Samantha was eager to start reading them. Her muggle-born best friend had let her borrow several of her books their first year, and Samantha had collected muggle books since. Her mother would indulge her interest and take her on outings to London so that her daughter could browse through the muggle book stores. There was now a shelf in their library dedicated to her growing collection.

She'd found, with a small smile and roll of her eyes, that Amber had sent her a vial of her favorite perfume, along with a small package of makeup, "to be worn around Sirius," as instructed by the letter she sent along with the package.

James sent her a few more books, including _The Healer's Helpmate_, and a bracelet she was certain his mother had sent him to send to her. She had several things given to her this way, to avoid being told she didn't have to get anything according to James. Samantha always made sure to thank her.

Even Remus had sent her something, a small stash of sweets. She'd looked through them quickly before she moved on to the package she had purposely saved for last. She'd tried to keep from wondering what Sirius would get her for Christmas, if anything.

She was slow about opening the package, taking her time in untying the string from around it. When she finally did open it, she was pleasantly surprised to find a necklace. She pulled it out to study it more closely. It had a silver chain with three small, diamond-encrusted charms: a S, an E, and a D. Her initials. She'd seen such necklaces advertised at a shop in Hogsmeade, offering a custom-made necklace with any letters desired. She would bet twenty galleons that Sirius had had James or Remus pick it up for him while they had been on their date.

Sirius had also sent her a couple of packs of chocolate frogs and a lengthy letter she tucked away to read when she had a chance. She'd realized with a pang of guilt that she had not written him once since coming home. As her mother had called her downstairs for brunch, she had promised herself to write him the next day.

After brunch, the family had gathered in the sitting room, where a large Christmas tree stood, to exchange presents. Every Christmas, Elizabeth took great pride in decorating her home. The house was always decorated lavishly, even though the rise of Voldemort had prevented them from throwing any parties in the last few years. She seemed unwilling to shake the tradition of spending hours decorating her home.

Adrian's still-girlfriend, Nichole, joined them in the festivities. Her mother had died when she was twelve, and as a result, Nichole had become even closer to her father than she had been before. But this year for Christmas her father had been invited to visit his sister, who had moved to America a few years ago. Nichole was unable to go as the trip would interfere too much with her job at St. Mungo's, where she was currently in training to be a healer. Her father had said that he could stay with her, but she had insisted that he go and even saw him to the airport herself to make sure he did indeed go. As soon as Adrien learned of her father's trip, he'd insisted she come stay with his family for the holiday. He did not want her to be alone for Christmas. On top of that, he always worried for her safety, especially since she was muggle-born. He was glad to have her staying with them where he knew she was safe, even for just this short amount of time.

Elizabeth and Tabitha spent the afternoon in the kitchen preparing Christmas dinner. Samantha helped when she could, though she spent more time watching them, trying to stay out of the way. Her mother did not like to use magic when doing everyday tasks such as cooking, and she preferred to use the muggle way as long as time permitted. Christmas dinner was always prepared without the use of magic.

After a long afternoon in the kitchen, the table was piled high with food and Samantha's aunt was calling everyone to the table.

"The food looks wonderful, dear," Brennan said after everyone had gathered around the table and piled their plates high with food.

"As always, of course, Christopher added, shooting a grin towards his wife.

"There's no need to be flattering, dear," Tabitha replied. "The food is already on your plate. We're certainly not going to take it away from you now."

"Careful," Elizabeth warned her. "You know him well enough to know that he'll take complete advantage of what you just said."

"I'm not worried," Tabitha said, throwing a wink her husband's way. "He knows what will happen if he tries to pull something like that."

They all laughed at Christopher's attempted spluttered response. At the other end of the table, Nichole was explaining to Samantha what healer training at St. Mungo's was like, a conversation Adrien did not find fascinating at all. He focused his attention instead on studying his girlfriend. She' d once worn her sandy-blonde hair cut short, but since leaving school, she'd allowed it to grow out to her shoulders. She'd once expressed interest in cutting it again, but when he'd told her how much he loved to run his fingers through her soft tresses, she'd never brought up the subject again. Her face was dotted with freckles and her brown eyes were always full of life.

Adrien thought she was beautiful. He'd thought so even before he'd worked up the nerve to ask her on a date just over a year ago. Ever since they'd returned from Hogwarts and started the next chapter in their lives, the time they were able to spend together was limited. Between his demanding training schedule at Auror headquarters and his involvement in the Order, free time was something Adrien found hard to come by. Nichole was aware of the existence of the Order, but Adrien did not want her involved, and she respect his wishes. Though she'd heard stories both from Adrien and the Daily Prophet, she had yet to experience the true horrors the war could bring. Adrien wished her to remain unaware for as long as she could.

"I could teach you a few of the more basic spells," Nichole was saying when Adrien broke himself from his thoughts. "This summer when you come home. You'll be of age then. And it'll help you be a little ahead of the other trainees the next year when you start healer training."

Samantha grinned in response. "That would be fantastic," she replied.

"Yeah," Adrien spoke up, his voice dry. "Fantastic. I've heard stories about those spells going awry. I will not be anywhere near the house when the two of you are together."

Nichole grinned across the table at her boyfriend. "There goes our plans of injuring you purposefully for the purpose of teaching your younger sister."

Adrien scowled as Nichole and Samantha laughed. "Neither one of you will come near me with a wand." He shot his sister a distrusting look. "Especially you. If you want to practice healing charms on someone, ask Sirius. He seems willing to do just about whatever you ask."

This time it was Samantha who was scowling. Nichole raised her eyebrows at her. "Sirius _Black_? Adrien told me there was something going on between the two of you. That's quite a catch you've got there. Not to mention handsome."

Adrien pulled a face into his wine glass. "That's always a nice thing to hear. You're girlfriend talking about how handsome another guy is."

Nichole waved a hand towards him dismissively. "He's one of the hottest catches in Hogwarts. You know it as well as I do. But I still chose you."

"Now you make it sound as if you only settled for me."

Rolling her eyes, she reached across the table to grasp his hand in hers. "It's not like that and you know it."

"I do," he replied, giving her hand a small squeeze. "I just like to be difficult."

Samantha silently watched the two of them, wondering when exactly they had turned into the couple that argued as if they had been married for years; the quiet, teasing bickering that showed just how well each knew the other. Samantha couldn't help but feel a small pang of jealousy. There had once been a time where she had thought her and Oliver would one day reach that point in their relationship, influenced both by how well he had played her in his hands and by the heart-pounding exhilaration brought on by a first romance, one that made you think it would last forever. She was now in the seemingly never-ending point in her life where she wondered if she'd ever feel that way again.

"How does your father feel about your current standings with Sirius Black?"

Nichole's question shook Samantha out of her thoughts. She shrugged, not really sure of the answer, while Adrien's eyes gleamed as he opened his mouth to reply.

"He's a fine boy, from what Joseph tells me," Brennan spoke up from Samantha's left before Adrien had a chance to speak. "He's nothing like the rest of the Blacks. And any boy who would turn his back on his family to stand up for what he believes is acceptable in my book."

Brennan turned back to whatever conversation he had been holding at the other end of the table, leaving Samantha to grin broadly at her brother, who seemed surprised at what their father had said. He recovered quickly, and lifted his glass of wine towards his sister briefly before taking a quick sip. Samantha smiled to herself as she scooped up a small bite of mashed potatoes. Her thoughts wandered back to the letter she had tucked away to reply to later, and she found herself wondering what the second half of term would bring.

"Brennan!"

The shout came from the sitting room, and broke Samantha out of her thoughts with a snap. Her father was on his feet instantly, striding quickly towards the sitting room to answer the sudden, unexpected fire call. Samantha had recognized the voice of Alastor Moody. The table was silent, tense, until Brennan reappeared a few short moments later.

"There's been an attack," he said, glancing at Christopher and then Adrien. "We've got to get over there. You, too, Adrien."

Christopher rose to his feet, giving his wife's shoulder a brief squeeze as he stood. Adrien, who was still holding Nichole's hand across the table, lifted it to his lips, kissing her knuckles before releasing it and standing as well. Brennan moved to Elizabeth, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.

"We'll be back as soon as we can," he whispered in her ear.

"Be careful," she whispered in response.

"Always."

The table remained silent for several long seconds in their sudden absence. Elizabeth suddenly stood, and began collecting plates, piling as many as she dared.

"No need to make this go to waste," she said in a pleasant voice that was obviously forced. "We'll get this cleaned up and then enjoy desert."

But they did not get past clearing the table. Desert didn't seem to be on anyone's minds. It no longer felt like Christmas.

* * *

It was a late night in the Dawson household. No one seemed willing to go to bed until the rest of their family returned safe and sound. They started off gathering in the sitting room. Tabitha made tea, but no one seemed interested in drinking it, but for a few minutes it had given her something to do. Eventually, they spread out. Tabitha remained in the sitting room. Elizabeth retreated to the kitchen to put the deserts away. Nichole went to the guest bedroom she was staying in to write her father and Samantha went upstairs to her bedroom to curl up in bed with a book.

It was nearing three in the morning before Samantha heard voices upstairs. She'd been finding it hard to stay awake within the last hour. As soon as she'd heard the low hum of voices, she'd shut her book, turning off her bedside lamp, burying herself under the covers and closing her eyes. She waited until she heard the voices of her father, uncle, and brother before she allowed herself to fall asleep, knowing that for now, they were all safe.

The very first thing Samantha did when she woke up the day after Christmas was sit down at the small desk in her room and pen a reply to Sirius's letter. She began by apologizing to him for not having written him once since coming home. She then thanked him for the gift he had given her, telling him how much she appreciated it. The letter concluded with a few short sentences telling him what she'd been up to, and after she'd signed with a flourish, she sent the letter on its way with Celeris. She did not mention the attack the night before. She knew it would only worry him, and the Daily Prophet was bound to have mentioned it.

She received a reply the very next day, in which he told her what he and his friends had been up to, assuring her that they had not done anything too terrible. He also informed her that the gift she had given him was being put to good use, and that if anyone ever found out it was her who had gifted it to him, she'd probably have several people none too happy with her. After his loopy signature was a hastily scrawled sentence, as if he had written it quickly before he was able to talk himself out of writing it. 'I miss you.' She was unable to stop the smile that tugged at the corner of her lips. That was when she realized that she missed him, too.

In no time at all, the New Year arrived. Lily and Amber both came to Samantha's home to stay with her for a few days for the holiday. They stayed up late every night, talking about whatever they wished to talk about. They brought in the New Year with the Dawson family, and unlike Christmas, their night was not interrupted.

A little over a week later, the three girls were on the train back to Hogwarts, and at the feast that night, Samantha found herself seated beside Sirius, who had greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. Amber and Lily sat with Samantha and the Marauders, and the group spent most of dinner exchanging stories of their holidays.

"We have plans for that gift you gave Sirius," James said to Samantha. The feast was drawing to a close, and many of the younger students had already begun to make their way back to the common room. Amber had disappeared, off with a Hufflepuff. "Now that the Slytherins are back, it's time to put it to good use."

"Why did you give him something like that?" Lily hissed in Samantha's ear. "You're only encouraging them."

"You'll just have to call me down more, Evans." James grinned at Lily, his hand jumping to the back of his head to ruffle his hair. "It gives you practice for when we're married."

Lily scowled deeply. "Give it a rest, Potter." She stood, her face as red as her hair. "I'm going back to the common room before I have to patrol," she told Samantha before storming out of the Great Hall.

"I'm starting to break her down," James said brightly as he watched her leave.

Samantha and Sirius exchanged looks, silently telling each other how mental James was.

"Of course you are, Prongs," Sirius drawled.

"She looked ready to fall into your arms," Peter piped in, causing Sirius and Remus to chuckle.

"Stuff it," James grumbled. "You'll all see one day."

"I'm sure we will, mate," Remus replied, clapping James on the back, earning him a glare.

"The day you get Lily to agree to a date is the day I give you ten galleons," Peter said to James.

"And I'll hold you to that," James responded, pointing his fork Peter's way. "So you may want to start saving your money."

Peter snorted, but did not reply as he took a small bite from what was left of the rice pudding in front of him.

Shaking his head at his friends, Sirius ghosted his hand across Samantha's back to get her attention.

"Do you want to go on a walk?" he asked her quietly.

She glanced at him with a smile, giving him a small nod, and they both stood.

"We're going on a walk," Sirius said to his friends. "We'll see you guys in the common room."

"Don't be too long," Remus warned. "Curfew's soon, and I'd hate to have to come looking for you."

Sirius waved his hand in his direction dismissively as he and Samantha made their way out of the Great Hall. He waited until they were out of the Hall, and more accurately out of James's sight, before reaching out to take her hand in his. He moved slowly, not entirely sure where they stood after their time apart. But when his skin brushed against hers, grasping her hand ever so slightly, she closed her hand around his in return, and this small gesture was enough to put a smile on his face.

"How is your family?" he asked her as they slowly climbed the main staircase.

She shrugged. "They're alright," she replied. "It was good to see them. They were busy with various attacks and Order meetings a good part of the time. The war's getting worse."

He squeezed her hand briefly.

"They know how to take care of themselves," Sirius told her.

She nodded, but did not reply. For several minutes, they wandered in silence. Sirius was running the conversation he'd had with James on Christmas through his head. Eventually, he sighed, and pulled Samantha to the side of the corridor. She looked up at him in question, her brow furrowed.

"I want to ask you something," Sirius told her, releasing her hand, running it through her hair.

"Ask me anything," she replied, still wondering what this was about. "Is something wrong?"

He shook his head fervently. "No," was his quick reply. "No, nothing's wrong. It's just…" He sighed, again, grasping her arms in his hands. "I don't know what this is. What to call it."

He made sure to choose his words carefully, not wanting to make it seem as if he was pushing her.

She seemed thoughtful, her mouth parted slightly as if she wanted to say something. When she took too long to reply, he spoke again.

"Sorry. Forget I said anything."

"No," she shook her head. "No, I've been wondering the same thing. I'm just...not sure of the answer either."

He chuckled, releasing her arms to shove his hands into the pockets of his robes.

"Well, it seems we have a bit of a problem, then."

She stepped closer to him, bringing her hands to his forearms, sliding them down his arms until her took his hands from his pockets, grasping his hands in her own when he did so.

"I missed you over the holiday."

They both seemed surprised by her admission, but he gave her a lopsided grin in response, using their joined hands to pull her closer to him. "Did you now? I missed you, too."

He leaned down, brushing his lips across her forehead before leaning his forehead against hers.

"I think," he whispered to her, "That I might like to call you my girlfriend."

Her lips parted in surprise. Her smile appeared in her blue eyes before her lips slowly tilted upward. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, but she stubbornly ignored it, for once throwing caution to the wind.

"I think," she replied softly, releasing one of his hands to bring her hand up to the side of his face, running her fingers through his thick hair, "That I'd like that."

His hands moved to her waist, pulling her against him. Slowly, he lowered his head down to softly brush his lips against hers. It was all the incentive she needed, rising on her toes to return his kiss. His arms wrapped around her waist and, despite risking scaring her away, he deepened the kiss. He needn't have worried; she was quick to respond, leaning against him. It was a kiss incomparable to the ones they had previously shared. Sirius had stolen several quick kisses since their date, but this one was different. A spark seemed to shoot between them that neither had felt before. His arms tightened around her, holding her against him. She tasted of chocolate and mint, a combination he found intoxicating.

He did not want this moment to end.

It was with great reluctance from the both of them that they pulled apart. Sirius shook his head at her, one of his hands moving up to cup her cheek.

"Perhaps we should spend time apart more often."

"No, that wouldn't do at all," she disagreed.

"Not at all," he breathed. He looked as if he wanted to lean down and kiss her again. She interrupted him before he could do just that.

"We should probably go," she said to him. "Curfew will start soon. And you heard Remus."

Sirius sighed heavily. "Couldn't we just ignore him?"

"You're more than welcome to," she replied, pulling away from him, moving to make her way down the corridor. "But I don't want a detention."

He watched her go for only a moment before he moved to catch up to her, slipping his arm across her shoulders. "Fine. I'll listen to him just this once."

She smiled up at him, and the rest of their walk to Gryffindor Tower was silent. They were content with each other's company, and now it seemed as if they would be for a while.

* * *

**End Chapter**

**Parts Edited: A few descriptions added and the paragraph with the kiss edited for future scenes. Mostly changed the kiss initiator from Samantha to Sirius.**


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**Note: I went back and edited chapter fifteen a little. It's not too important to go back and read what was edited as nothing too important was changed. Details on what was edited can be found at the end of chapter fifteen. **

**Here's the next chapter, right on time. I'll try my best to keep the weekly updates going, at least until I move back up to school next month. As always, a huge thanks to those that review. Your feedback encourages me to keep writing!**

**Also, has anyone seen Deathly Hallows Part Two yet? I saw the midnight showing last week and absolutely LOVED it. **

* * *

Fate

Chapter Sixteen

Sirius never seemed too bothered by the stares that followed them around the castle. He ignored them, and to anyone who didn't know any better, it appeared as if he didn't even notice them. Samantha wished that it was just as easy for her to ignore it. She felt the stares burning into the back of her head whenever she walked the corridors, and she found it impossible to pretend they weren't there. She would not allow Sirius to kiss her whenever they were within the sight of others, not even a kiss on the cheek. She did not wish to attract more attention to them. If this bothered him, he did not let on to it.

The first couple of weeks of the second term were not too hard on the sixth years. Their workload was still heavier than they would have liked, but they were still able to sit back and watch as the fifth years and seventh years struggled not to break under the heavy workload that had been forced upon them by the unrelenting professors.

True to what James had said, they put the gift Samantha had given Sirius to good use, targeting mostly the Slytherins, but occasionally they would pick on the first years. The Marauders were in their element, pulling pranks daily. Unfortunately, not all pranks went as planned, and one involving Severus Snape, a suit of armor, and an entire pack of dungbombs went wrong. And one of the Marauders did not escape fast enough to avoid Filch's fury.

"I can't believe you've gotten a detention this early into second term," Samantha admonished, her gaze on one of the books Lily had given her for Christmas.

Beside her, Sirius scowled. "_I_ can't believe that my so-called friends run as soon as a prank goes wrong, leaving me in the hands of Filch."

"Better you than us, mate," James spoke up from a nearby chair, earning a sharp glare from Sirius.

"You made the mistake of slipping up," Remus pointed out from Samantha's other side, where he was bent over an Arithmancy essay.

"I thought you never slipped up," Samantha murmured.

Sirius glanced at her, eyebrows raised. "Are you taking their side?"

"They're the ones who didn't get caught."

Sirius scoffed. "I see how it is," he muttered. Despite his tone, a small smile tugged at one side of his lips.

"Hey," James suddenly said, interrupting them. He glanced around the common room, looking as if he had just noticed something was missing. "Where's my lovely Lily-flower?" He had grown used to Lily being around them a lot more now that Samantha and Sirius were together.

"She's tutoring Amber in Charms in the library," Samantha responded.

James muttered something under his breath before asking, "Have you put in a good word for me lately?"

Samantha looked thoughtful for a moment, an act Sirius knew, before she shook her head. "No, not that I can recall."

"Sam," James whined. "You're supposed to be talking me up to her."

"Don't you start," Samantha snapped. "There's only so much I can do. You continue to insist acting the way you always do. That's not going to change her mind about you."

"What do you have to do for detention tonight?" Peter asked loudly as James opened his mouth to respond. He was putting in an honest attempt to do homework, and James's constant whining was making it impossible for him to concentrate.

"Dunno," Sirius shrugged, glancing at James, who was now sitting back in his chair with his arms cross over his chest. "All I know is that it's outside in the courtyard."

"_Outside_?" Samantha asked incredulously. "But it's _freezing_ out there."

"Glad I don't have to do it," James piped up.

With a heavy scowl, Sirius grabbed the book Samantha was reading out of her hands, ignoring her protests to chuck the book at James's head. It missed, hitting him in the chest instead, but the surprised shout James emitted was still satisfying.

"I've got to go," Sirius said, reaching over to squeeze Samantha's shoulder briefly before standing. The two of them had quickly learned that any quick kisses given in front of the rest of the Marauders were met with joking comments and choking gags from James. "I'll probably be late. See you lot in the morning."

James shook his head as he watched him go, tossing Samantha's book back to her.

"Maybe next time he'll learn to move faster."

In Samantha's opinion, James was lucky that Sirius had not heard him.

* * *

"Sirius, you look terrible."

"I'm fine."

"She has a point."

"I'm fine, Moony."

They were gathered in the Great Hall for breakfast. For his detention the night before, Filch had ordered Sirius to clear away all of the freshly fallen snow in the courtyard without the use of magic. It had been exhausting work that had taken him hours, and by the time he had returned to the common room long after almost everyone had gone to bed, he had been soaking wet and shivering from a bone-chilling cold that made his limbs feel like they were on fire. He had taken a long, hot shower in an attempt to warm up, ignoring the way the hot water stung his cold skin. When he had finally pulled himself into bed, he only had a few hours until he had to be up again.

Now, he was looking rough. He had dark circles under his eyes and his face was pale, save his cheeks, which were flushed a light red, a sure sign of fever. He was doing his best to pretend he felt fine, but his friends could see right through his act.

"Maybe you ought to skip classes today, mate," James said to him quietly, eyeing him closely. "And get some more sleep."

Sirius shook his head, muttering something no one could make out as he pushed his untouched food around his plate.

"At least go to the Hospital Wing," Samantha said softly, resting her hand on his arm. "Let Madame Pomfrey give you a Pepperup Potion."

"I'm fine," Sirius said again, a snap in his voice.

Exchanging glances, they allowed the subject to drop, Samantha removing her hand from Sirius's arm. If he wanted to be stubborn about it, there was nothing they could do short of dragging him to the Hospital Wing against his will, which they all knew would not turn out well. Around them, students began to head out of the Great Hall to their first class of the day. With one more glance at Sirius, Samantha stood, gathering her books up in her arms as Sirius pushed himself to his feet. He knew it was going to be a long day, and he just wanted to get through it.

The day was the longest one he could remember. He somehow managed to make it through his morning classes, though he did not remember much of them. He would have to get notes from Remus later. Samantha kept a close eye on him throughout the classes. After lunch, they parted ways, Samantha going to Herbology and Sirius to Muggle Studies. James promised to keep an eye on him.

By the time they met outside of the last class of the day, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Sirius was looking worse. His face was even paler then it had been at breakfast and sweat was forming on his brow, dampening his hair. They were a little early, and were waiting for Professor Levesque to let them into the classroom.

Samantha stood in front of him, her eyes looking over him carefully. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Sirius leaned sideways into the wall, resting his head against it. The stone felt cool against his hot forehead, and he turned his head to press against it better. "I'm fine, Sam. It's just a little cold."

Samantha rolled her eyes. He wasn't fine and it looked like more than a little cold. Shaking her head, she reached up, brushing her hand across his forehead. "Merlin, Sirius, you're burning up," she exclaimed softly.

Sirius groaned and pushed himself away from the wall. He stepped closer to her, and Samantha did not miss how unsteady he was on his feet. His grey eyes, usually bright and full of life, were dull and glazed over. She knew he felt a lot worse than what he was letting on, and far for the first time, she wondered why he was so stubborn.

He gripped her upper arms in his hands as he looked down at her. "I'm fine," he repeated quietly. "You worry too much." He tried to give her his heart-melting smile to help reassure her, but for once, the delivery was weak.

Samantha brought her hands up, clutching his robes at his waist. "Perhaps you ought to go to the hospital wing," she said to him, but Sirius was shaking his head before she'd finished speaking.

"That's not necessary. I'll be fine. I'll go lie down after this class and be as good as new in the morning."

"Sirius-"

"_Merlin_, Sam, I'm fine. Just-"

He broke off with a loud groan, leaning over to rest his forehead on her shoulder, staggering slightly. She could feel the heat radiating off of him. That was it. She didn't care what he said; he was going to the Hospital Wing.

She gripped his waist tightly in response to his unsteadiness, opening her mouth to tell him they were going to the Hospital Wing. Before she could say anything, his entire weight suddenly dropped onto her. She gasped in surprise as her knees buckled under his weight, and they would have collapsed onto the floor, but Sirius's weight suddenly disappeared and a pair of strong hands gripped her elbows, keeping her on her feet.

Samantha steadied herself and the hands disappeared as Remus stepped up beside her. She flashed him a quick smile in thanks for keeping her on her feet before turning her attention to James, who had slung Sirius's arm over his shoulders to support his weight. Sirius's head lolled over onto his shoulder. Peter hovered off to the side, wringing his hands and looking worriedly between James and Sirius. James was shaking his head.

"Padfoot, when you feel this bad, you're supposed to go to the Hospital Wing for medicine, not ignore it until you collapse on top of your girlfriend."

Sirius moaned softly. "Stuff it, Prongs."

Remus shifted beside Samantha. "He's right, Padfoot. You shouldn't have ignored it. Then it wouldn't have gotten this bad."

"Okay, okay. I was wrong," Sirius admitted impatiently. "Just take me to the Hospital Wing already. I feel like I'm dying."

Peter snorted and James rolled his eyes. "You should have thought of that earlier." He looked at Peter and Remus. "You two go on to class. I think me and Sam can handle dragging his sorry carcass to the Hospital Wing."

After Peter and Remus promised to come check on Sirius after dinner, they turned and headed towards the classroom, where students were slowly filing inside, casting curious glances in the direction of the Marauders as they went. Samantha moved to Sirius's other side, mimicking James, throwing his other arm over her shoulder to help support his weight.

"Okay, Sirius, you're going to have to help us a little," James said.

Samantha wrapped her arm around Sirius's waist as they slowly began to make their way down the corridor towards the Hospital Wing. The walk seemed to take forever. Since classes were in session, they passed no one in the corridors, something Sirius was grateful for even as terrible as he felt. Despite how determined he'd been to avoid the Hospital Wing, he was relieved when they finally made it so that he could stop moving.

Madame Pomfrey was upon them as soon as they stepped through the doors.

"What on Earth happened this time, Mister Black?"

Sirius gave her a lopsided grin. "It's a funny story," he replied.

James rolled his eyes. "He's been ignoring a bad cold all day," he told the nurse.

Madame Pomfrey tutted before leading them to a bed.

"Lie down, Mister Black," she told him. "I'll be right back with some Pepperup Potion."

James and Samantha helped Sirius sit onto the bed as Madame Pomfrey walked off towards her office. When Sirius did not move to lie down, Samantha rolled her eyes.

"Lie down," she commanded, reaching out and pushing his shoulder.

Sirius sighed and complied, closing his eyes briefly against the pounding the movement caused in his head. "You're not going to turn out like Madame Pomfrey when you become a healer are you?" he asked Samantha.

"No way," James said before Samantha could speak. "She'll be much worse."

Sirius chuckled at the look Samantha shot James, reaching out and grasping her hand in his.

"I think she'll make a wonderful healer," he said.

"You'd best be lying down, Mister Black," Madame Pomfrey called from her office.

Sirius winced. "If she doesn't nag," he added.

Samantha's eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth to retort, but she was interrupted by Madame Pomfrey, who came bustling up to the bed, a steaming goblet in her hand. "Alright, Mister Black," she spoke, her voice leaving no room for arguments. "You are to drink this potion and then you are to remain in this bed and rest until the morning. Miss Dawson, Mister Potter, you two best be off to class. You may come visit him after dinner if you wish."

Samantha smiled and squeezed Sirius's hand. "Feel better."

"See you later, mate," James said as Sirius released Samantha's hand, and Madame Pomfrey pushed the goblet into his grasp.

As James and Samantha left the Hospital Wing, the could hear Madame Pomfrey reprimanding Sirius for taking too long to take his potion.

Samantha shook her head. "He never learns, does he?"

"Never," James agreed.

* * *

Sirius was released from the Hospital Wing the next morning just in time for morning classes with strict orders to return if he began to feel ill again. Unfortunately for Sirius, Samantha had been there to hear the orders, and she had assured Madame Pomfrey, with a stern glare Sirius's way, that he would comply, killing any plans Sirius had of avoiding the Hospital Wing any time soon at all costs.

By the next day, Sirius was back to acting like his old self. The Marauders were back to pulling their pranks, though Sirius had learned his lesson, and he was much more cautious so he would not get into trouble again. By the time January was drawing to a close, the students were dreaming of warmer days without snow on the ground, though they knew that had at least a month left of snow.

"Sam, get up."

Samantha groaned at the voice that whispered at her, but made no move to do as it commanded.

"Sam."

This time it was more of a whine, and was accompanied by someone shaking her shoulder. She groaned again and turned over, forcing her eyes opened. She jumped when she found Amber leaning over her with a grin on her face.

"Amber," she muttered sleepily. "What are you doing?"

"Get up," Amber repeated, "You've got to get ready."

Samantha's brow furrowed. "Get ready for what? You are aware it's Saturday, aren't you?"

"Of course I am," she replied. "I'm also aware that it's Lily's birthday."

"Yes," Samantha said slowly, still half asleep. She had gone to bed late last night, first talking with Lily and Amber late into the night, and then tucking herself into her bed with a book. She had not gotten near enough sleep, but she had not expected an early wake-up call. She realized she should have. Amber always insisted they get up early for a celebratory breakfast on their birthdays. But it had been awhile since any of their birthdays had fallen on a weekend, and she had not even given any thought to being woken up early. "But…" She could think of nothing else to say that would allow her to go back to sleep, "It's Saturday."

Amber tsked and pushed away from the bed with what Samantha thought was entirely too much energy to have at this time of day. Amber had never needed much sleep to recharge her body.

"Get up," she commanded. "Sirius won't be happy if he gets drug down to breakfast this early and you aren't even there to make it worth his while."

"Sirius?" Samantha scrunched her brow as she pushed herself into a sitting position, resigning herself to the fact that she would not be allowed to go back to sleep, at least not until she went down to breakfast. "Why in the world would he be up at this time of day? He's not that mental."

"Because James isn't going to miss Lily at breakfast," Amber replied with a raised eyebrow. "You know that. And he won't come by himself. Now go take a shower."

Grudgingly, Samantha stood and made her way to the bathroom. Morgan stuck her head out of her curtains, crossly snapping at them to keep it down before closing her curtains roughly. Scoffing, not particularly caring that she had been too loud, Amber moved to Lily, who had already been woken up by Amber's attempts to wake Samantha and had thrown a pillow over her head.

An hour later, they were seated in the Great Hall along with the few students who got up this early even on a Saturday. Amber was in a good mood, brightly chatting away, not seeming to care that her two half-asleep companions didn't have much to contribute to the conversation. It was not long before they were joined by James and Sirius. James claimed they were up so early because they had a large mountain of homework to work on that day, but no one believed him. Sirius did say that the only reason James was breathing for waking him up so early was because he had gotten behind on homework and did have a large pile of homework to work on.

James was just as bright as Amber, and the two of them ended up talking together. Sirius, not having stayed up too terribly late the night before, was awake enough and interjected occasionally, but most of his energy went into eating. Occasionally, James would comment to Lily about her birthday or about how they should go to Hogsmeade together sometime. Instead of snapping at him like she normally would, she only nodded or shrugged half-heartedly, not having the energy for anything else. James didn't seem to notice how tired she was, and seemed pleased with her responses.

A little while later, breakfast was winding down. Amber had moved further down the table to talk with Mason Cunningham and did not appear to be returning anytime soon. Samantha was falling asleep on Sirius's shoulder and across the table, Lily looked to be falling asleep as well. James had fallen quiet, pushing his remaining food across his plate.

"Hey," Sirius eventually said softly, shifting his shoulder slightly as he reached up to run his fingers through Samantha's long hair. "Do you want to go back to the common room? You can lay down and keep me company while I start working on my homework."

The thought of walking back to the common room was exhausting, but Samantha nodded against his shoulder, allowing him to pull her up with him as he stood. As he lead her out of the Great Hall, Lily suddenly realized that she was being left alone at the table with James Potter. She stood to go back to the common room as well. She still needed a few hours of sleep until she would be awake enough to enjoy her birthday.

"Evans," James said softly.

She paused, and slowly turned back to James, who had stood and was now smiling at her.

"Yes, Potter?"

He shrugged his shoulders, his head tilting slightly to the side. She felt her heart skip a beat, and she wondered why she had never noticed how nice his smile was, before she mentally shook herself and told her to stop thinking such ridiculous things.

"Happy birthday."

He reached into his robes and pulled out a single white lily. Reaching across the table, he held it out to her, and Lily hesitated only for a moment before accepting it, surprised as this subdued but sweet gesture that seemed out of character for the James Potter she knew. James's smile widened when she took the flower and nodding slightly at her, he turned and strode out of the Great Hall. Lily watched him go with a bemused expression on her face before glancing down at the Lily in her hand.. Normally she hated it when people gave her lilies. She had long grown tired of the play on her name, but for some reason, it felt different this time. She smiled softly, twirling the flower in her fingers before continuing on her way to the common room for her nap. Perhaps later she would try to give James a real reply to whatever he said to her instead of snapping at him.

* * *

February seemed to come upon them quickly that year, especially to Sirius, who was kept busy between the endless flow of homework and quidditch. Gryffindor's second match of the season, against Hufflepuff, was to take place later that month and James had them practicing harder than ever despite the fact that many believed the match to be an easy win.

"Do you reckon we have a chance of winning?"

It was after one of James's practices. The rest of the team had gone back to the castle; only James and Sirius remained. Sirius sat on a bench while he waited for James to finish up in the shower. Outside, a storm was raging. James had been ecstatic when he realized they would be practicing in the middle of a storm. He believed in his team would be better prepared if they had a chance to practice in all possible circumstances the game may possible have to be played in.

Sirius ran a hand through his damp hair. "I reckon we'd win easily without all of these extra practices."

The shower shut off.

"One can never be too careful, Padfoot. I want that cup."

"You're wasting your efforts on Hufflepuff, you know. They've been declining in recent years. Slytherin's the one you should worry about."

"Oh, my efforts will be triple what they are now when it comes close to playing Slytherin."

"Fantastic," Sirius muttered under his breath. "Something to look forward to."

"So…" James began as he furiously rubbed a towel over his hair to dry it as best he could before they ventured out into the snow.

"So…?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow. "You've never had a problem blabbing whatever it is you wish to say, so why start hesitating now, Prongs?"

James shrugged, emerging from the showers clad in his pants, his glasses slightly skewed and the towel draped over his head as he fastened his belt.

"I'm just curious," He rubbed his hair quickly one last time before removing the towel from his head. "You and Sam have been official for nearly a month now. How are things going?"

Sirius's brow furrowed. "Things are going fine, Prongs. Can't you tell?"

"So no problems?" he asked, slipping on his shirt.

Sirius shook his head. "No."

"Nothing at all? Nothing bothering you?"

"No."

He had hesitated for the briefest of moments, and James had not missed it.

"That's what I thought. What is it then?"

Sirius frowned deeply at him. "How did you…?"

James shrugged as he sat down beside Sirius to pull on his shoes. "I've seen you looking at her when she's not paying attention. You look at her as if she's a puzzle you're trying to solve, and recently you look like you've resigned yourself to the fact that you never will."

Sirius sighed, his elbows propped on his knees as he stared at the floor.

"Things are going good," he eventually said quietly. "I'd never thought I would want to be in a relationship, but now that I am, I don't know how I went so long without."

"But?" James prodded gently when Sirius did not offer him anything else.

Sirius sighed again. "But sometimes I feel as if she's hesitant with me as if she expects me to turn on her at any moment. I notice it the most when we're," Sirius glanced at James, not entirely comfortable talking to him about the girl he considered his sister this way, "Well, snogging."

If James was bothered by the topic, he did not show it. "What do you mean?"

"She's never the initiator," Sirius told him. "Besides the day we went to Hogsmeade together, she has never been the one to start the kiss. She goes with it just fine most of the time, but other times, she stiffens as if she's expecting something. I can't help but wonder sometimes if this is what she really wants."

James nodded in understanding as he stood and began to button up his shirt. "I can't be entirely sure since I'm not there when the two of you are snogging." He pulled a face. "And Merlin, I never want to be. But it sounds to me like she's having a difficult time in letting go of her past."

Sirius ran his hands through his hair. "I thought that by now I would have proven that I wasn't like him."

James gave him a tight smile. "You're forgetting that Oliver played the role of perfect boyfriend for the first months. Deep down she knows you're different from him, but she can't help but think that you're going to do the same as him."

Sirius shook his head fervently. "I would never treat her that way."

"I know, mate. And so does she. She's trying very hard. I haven't seen her this happy in a while." James seated himself beside Sirius once more. "She spends so much time worrying for her family. It's understandable, but worrying that much can't be good for her. But you…you make her forget, no matter how briefly."

Sirius glanced at him in surprise. He hadn't noticed. James smiled at the surprised look he received.

"The muscles in her face are always a little tighter than she should be. But I've noticed her completely relaxed more times this month than any other time in the past years. I don't know what the two of you have talked about but when she's with you, she seems to be able to tell herself that they're alright."

Sirius shook his head. "I don't know how she does it. How she's able to live in constant worry."

"Neither do I," James admitted. "My parents are involved too, but they're older. Voldemort doesn't seem to think they present much of a threat. Her family on the other hand…I know their deaths would bring him pleasure. Living with knowing that…"

Sirius was silent for several moments before he spoke again.

"What do you think it would do to her? If something were to happen?"

James shook his head, and Sirius could see the lines that always appeared on his face when he was worrying about something.

"I don't know," he said so softly that Sirius almost did not hear him. "I try not to think about it, tell myself that nothing could ever happen to them, that they fight too hard to lose."

Silence fell between them. James stood, pulling his robes on over his head. Sirius stood as well and both of them placed their cloaks around their shoulders, wrapping their scarves tightly around their necks. Luckily, the storm had quieted, and they began the trek back to the school. It was not until they were halfway back, making their way through the deep snow, that James spoke again.

"Don't worry," he told Sirius quietly. "You make her happy, mate. I promise."

As the wind whipped his hair wildly, the cold air stinging his face, Sirius nodded.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**Update coming a day early this week due to my leaving for a spontanious three day trip to the beach tomorrow. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Seventeen

"What I want you to understand before I go any further," Professor Levesque said to his class of sixth yea Gryffindors and Slytherins on the afternoon eof the first Friday in February, "Is that the three spells I am about to teach you about are illegal, and any use of them will earn you a life sentence in Azkaban."

Samantha, seated between James and Sirius, tensed slightly, exchanging a look with James. They both knew exactly where this lecture was going. Sirius, who had been slumped in his seat, his left arm resting on the back of Samantha's chair, sat up a little straighter. Murmurs broke out amongst the students. The spells their professor spoke of had become well known in the years of Voldemort's rise to power.

"For this reason," The murmurs stopped as Professor Levesque began to speak again, "these curses have come to be known as Unforgivable Curses. The reason I am teaching you about these curses is because certain events in our world," He meant the war, of course, "have resulted in the increased use of these curses. The Headmaster and I have decided that in order to best prepare you for when you leave Hogwarts, you should be taught about these curses.

"As I said before, there are three of them: The Imperius Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, and the Killing Curse. These spells are the three most powerful and cruel spells known to the wizarding world.

"Let's start with the Imperius Curse. This spell gives the caster complete control over their victim. The caster can make their victim do their bidding with no protest from them. This curse places its victims in a pleasant, dream-like state that frees them from any sense of responsibility, and while under the curse, the victim is relaxed and care-free. It is difficult to tell if a person is under the curse or not without a detection spell, but if you know the victim well enough, you may be able to tell by the way that the person that they are is absent in their eyes and face. Their behavior will also be off. It is important to know that the effects of the curse can be dulled to where the person is acting normal, and the castor can take complete control again whenever they wish. Since the victim is still technically under the curse, they won't remember a thing. Not until the curse is completely removed.

"Now, you may be wondering what is so 'unforgivable' about this curse if the side-effects sound so pleasant. Imagine if you will, someone who is placed under the curse being forced to, let's say, murder their own family. Their children. And to do so in an uncaring way that they will remember as soon as the curse is lifted from them. The curse can also make you do things you otherwise wouldn't physically be able to do. Mister Pettigrew, are you capable of performing a series of back flips?"

Peter sat up in his seat beside Remus. "N-no, sir," he said uncertainly, aware of the class's attention suddenly being on him.

Professor Levesque nodded. "As I am sure most, if not all, of you in this room are unable to do. But if I were to ask you to perform a series of back flips while under the influence of the Imperius Curse, you would do so flawlessly. Now, it is possible to resist or break this curse. If the victim is strong enough, or have enough will power to fight whatever is being asked of them, they may be able to succeed at breaking the curse's hold on them, though it is extremely difficult.

Next up is the Cruciatus Curse. Of the three, this curse is perhaps the cruelest. Its sole purpose is to cause indescribably excruciating pain. The effects of this curse depend on the caster, and it is at its most painful when the caster is using the curse for the pleasure of causing pain to their victims."

Sirius's hand moved to Samantha's shoulder, squeezing it gently. He vividly remembered the sight of her under Bellatrix's Cruciatus Curse.

"The curse is probably most commonly used as a way to torture information out of a victim. As you can imagine, it is a highly effective method. When used for prolonged periods of time, this curse can have ill affects. The stress it puts on the heart can weaken it, and the victim could suffer from it for the rest of their lives. More extreme affects are irreversible insanity or even death. Immediate after affects of the curse is that the victim's body will have uncontrollable shaking, curable by a potion, though when the shakes go away, the muscles are sore for several days."

"I heard Lestrange taught you all about that curse, Dawson," a voice hissed from behind them.

Samantha's jaw clenched tightly, but she did not move her eyes away from the professor. Sirius was not so forgiving, and his eyes darkened as he slowly turned to glare at Evan Rosier. Flanking Rosier on either side was Avery and Wilkes, and their eyes narrowed at Sirius as his hand twitched, making it obvious that he was fighting to not pull his wand on them. James did not fully turn around, but he turned his head so that he could watch them closely over his shoulder, his eyes glinting in anger.

"Planning on selling your soul to Voldemort, Rosier?" Sirius growled lowly.

"Just so blood traitors like you can get what you deserve," Rosier snapped.

Sirius's eyes flashed, but before he could respond, Professor Levesque interrupted them.

"Is there a problem gentlemen?"

Sirius stared at Rosier for a moment longer before slowly turning back around in his seat. "No sir," he muttered, his hand returning to Samantha's shoulder.

"Then I would appreciate it if you would save your conversation until after class," he said with a stern look. "As I was saying, the third and final Unforgivable Curse is the Killing Curse. This curse does exactly as the name implies. It kills its victim painlessly and quickly, causing the victim to drop dead right where they were hit. You can tell someone has been hit by the Killing Curse if there is no apparent reason for their death. Muggles who examine someone killed by the Killing Curse can find no cause of death.

"As I said, any use of these curses earns you a life sentence in Azkaban, no exceptions. Unfortunately, certain people out there use these curses excessively and are able to elude capture. With our world as it is today, these curses are being seen on an almost daily bases, and they are very dangerous."

The bell rang then, signaling the end of classes for the day. As the students began to stand and gather their things, Professor Levesque spoke over the noise, "I want a summary of what we've covered today on my desk at the start of our next class."

Sirius's narrowed eyes stayed firmly glued on the backs of Rosier, Avery, and Wilkes as they filed out of the classroom. Samantha slipped her hand into his, turning his attention to her.

"Don't worry about it," she said to him softly. "He's not worth it."

Sirius stared at door for a moment longer before he relaxed. He allowed her to lead him from the classroom and towards the Great Hall, and by the time he was piling food on his plate, the incident was pushed from his mind, at least for the moment.

* * *

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Samantha gave Sirius a small smile.

"I'm fine," she replied. "I learned to ignore them a long time ago. In any case, that's not the worst thing Evan Rosier has ever said to me."

Sirius's face darkened at that, and she shook her head.

"Forget about it, Sirius," she said softly. "It doesn't bother me. Honestly."

He stared at her a moment longer before giving in, allowing the subject to drop. They were seated beside one another at a table in the library, having come here straight after dinner with plans for Sirius to tutor Samantha in Transfiguration.

Sirius turned his attention to the textbook spread opened between them on the chapter they had covered their last class period.

"What are we covering next?" Sirius asked her, flipping the pages absentmindedly.

"McGonagall said she was going to skip to Chapter Thirty," Samantha replied. "She mentioned is was only a lecture, that we wouldn't need our wands."

Sirius flipped towards the back of the book to the right chapter. He was surprised to find it to be a chapter on Animagi, and he made a mental note to mention to James that they could tune out their next Transfiguration class since there was nothing McGonagall would tell them that they didn't already know.

"Do we need to cover this?" he asked her with a slight frown, flipping through the pages of the chapter. "Considering the subject, we obviously aren't going to be doing anything practical with this chapter. Everything you need to know is right here."

Samantha shook her head. "I can learn that on my own just fine."

"Excellent." Sirius closed the textbook with a snap. "Let's do something more interesting."

She smiled at him. "You weren't planning to spend a lot of time on school work, were you?"

Sirius gave her a sheepish grin, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Honestly, I just needed a reason to get us away from James."

Samantha shook her head at him. "I should have known you'd have an ulterior motive."

Sirius's eyebrows rose and his grin turned teasing. "You really ought to have known." He leaned closer to her, and she could feel his warm breath tease her skin. "Sometimes I wonder if you even know me at all."

He closed the distance between them, his lips pressing against hers softly. His words has only been meant in jest, but he felt her go tense against him. She did not notice when he pulled away from her, his eyes confused and shadowed by something that even he was unsure of what it was.

_"God, do you even know me at all?"_

Sirius's words had caused words and images from a particularly nasty fight she had had with Oliver flash through her mind. She hadn't wanted to remember, but it seemed at times like it was impossible. She'd hoped that at the times when she was unable to help it that Sirius would not notice. But when she was able to bring herself back to the present, when she realized he'd pulled away, she looked up at him, and she could see in the way that he was looking at her that he had noticed.

"I'm," Her hand brushed across her forehead, "I'm sorry. I've got to…"

She grabbed her backpack and stood, rushing away from him. He was too stunned to do anything but sit and watch her go as she made her way out of the library. He snapped himself out of his shock and quickly gathered his things before hurrying to follow her. He caught up to her a little ways down the corridor, and when she did not stop when he called her name, he reached out and caught her hand, forcing her to stop as gently as he could. She spun around to face him. He expected anger, but instead he got an uncertain refusal to meet his eyes.

"Sam, talk to me," he said gently, leaning down, trying to catch her gaze. "What was that about?"

She shook her head, her eyes downcast. "I'm sorry," she murmured softly. "It's just what you said. It reminded me of…" She shifted uncomfortably.

"Of him?" he prodded. Neither one seemed to want to speak his name out loud.

She smiled bitterly. "More specifically of an argument we had."

"Sam." He took her other hand in his own as well, rubbing his thumb over it. "I don't know how else to convince you that I'm not like him. You know that if you want to stop, all you have to do is say so. It can stop right here."

Her eyes closed, and she shook her head. "I don't want it to stop," she whispered, opening her eyes and finally meeting his gaze. "I promise I don't. I'm trying my hardest to put it all behind me but…but it's hard."

He squeezed her hands. "I understand," he told her softly.

"It has nothing to do with you," she continued, peering up at him from beneath her eyelashes. "Not really. He was just…sweet and caring at the beginning. He waited until I had fallen before he showed who he really was. By then, I couldn't see clearly. And now my mind keeps telling me that history is only going to repeat itself."

Her voice sounded strangled by the end. He shook his head at her lifting his left hand to bring her hand up to his chest, placing it over his heart.

"This…this isn't pretending. I have never pretended to not be me around you. You may not know everything about me, but you know what's important. I've never hidden from you. And I'd like you to do the same for me. So please, next time you're having these struggles, don't try to hide them from me. Talk to me about them. I may be able to help."

She nodded, her hand that was covering his heart slowly closing into a fist, clutching his robes in her grasp.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked quietly. "We can take a couple of steps back, slow things down until you catch your footing."

She shook her head, and the hint of a smile that played across her lips made him hopeful.

"No…no I don't want that. Really."

Sirius smiled and leaned down to press his forehead against hers.

"Good," he replied. "I'm glad."

He reached up to run a hand through her hair before resting it on her back.

"I'd like to kiss you now."

She inhaled deeply. "I'd hoped you would."

And as he leaned closer to her, instead of waiting for him, she rose onto her toes and met him halfway. His heart pounded in his chest as he pulled her closer to him, and he finally felt as if they had taken a step in the right direction.

* * *

No one but Samantha and Sirius knew how things had changed between them. When they were around others, things remained the same. But when they were alone, Sirius slowly began to notice a change. Gone was the untrusting girl that seemed to be waiting for him to turn on her. In her place was a girl who was slowly placing herself in his hands, trusting him to hold her close and not let harm befall her. He constantly hoped that he would never betray her trust.

Valentine's Day came upon them quickly, and after classes were done for the day, Sirius and Samantha returned to the common room instead of going to dinner. They were going to spend some time together before having a private dinner in the kitchens. Sirius had never celebrated Valentine's Day before. It had been the one day out of the year when he refused company for a girl. But this year, spending time together had been his idea.

Sirius wanted to go on a walk, but before they did, Samantha had wanted to put her things up in her room. When she came back down into the common room, Sirius was waiting for her. He was wearing his cloak and scarf, and she found with surprise, he was holding her own in his hands.

"What's this?" she asked him as she approached.

"What? You thought our walk was going to be confined to the castle?" he asked her, eyebrows raised. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired of being cooped up inside. Amber snuck these down to me last night so that I could surprise you."

"You're so very thoughtful," she told him with a grin, giving him a quick kiss before allowing him to help her with her cloak and scarf.

As they wandered through the castle, they did not pass many students as most of them were at dinner, but the occasional ones they did pass shot them curious looks, likely wondering how mad they were to be planning to going out in this weather.

When Sirius cracked opened one of the large oak doors in the Entrance Hall, it was to a vast white world. They stepped out and immediately were hit by a wind that stung their cheeks. Samantha shivered, and wrapped her cloak tightly around her.

She allowed Sirius to take her hand and lead her down the slick front stairs, and it was not until they were slowly making their way across the grounds, fighting their way through the deep snow, that Samantha spoke.

"Tell me why this was a good idea?" she asked him.

"Well," he replied, "I knew we would be alone, for one." It was true. They seemed to be the only ones mental enough to venture outside. "Plus, when we get cold enough, we get to go inside and warm up."

She glanced at him at his teasing tone and grinned slyly at him. "Only if you play your cards right. If not, you can plan on warming up with James."

Sirius pulled a face. "The cruelest of punishments."

Samantha giggled as Sirius released her hand and picked up his stride, moving ahead of her.

"What about you?" he asked her, turning around to walk backwards so that he could look at her. "What if I decide you don't deserve to warm up with me?"

She shrugged, and with a grin, he turned back around. "Not that I expect you to do anything. You're not exactly one to-"

He was completely taken by surprise when a snowball slammed into the back of his head, cutting him off. He turned to find Samantha halted, watching him innocently enough. But he didn't miss the way her lips twitched as she fought hard not to smile. He raised an eyebrow at her, one hand moving up to brush the snow from his hair.

"Did you just throw a snowball at me?"

She shook her head, but her smile slipped, revealing itself a little more. "No," she replied firmly. "Absolutely not."

He took a step closer to her. "I don't believe you, Miss Dawson."

"Well, that's a shame now, isn't it?"

He stepped even closer, and she saw the telling mischievous glint in his eye that told her he was about to retaliate. She spun on her heels before he could, taking off across the grounds toward the lake, a feat made difficult in the depths of the snow. She stumbled several times, but she managed to keep her footing. She could hear Sirius taking chase behind her and pushed herself to run faster. She knew it was only a matter of time before his longer strides caught up with her.

An arm suddenly wrapped around her waist, jerking her to a halt. She turned to look at Sirius, who was staring back at her calmly.

"You didn't really think you would get away, did you?"

"I thought it wouldn't hurt to try," she mumbled up at him.

He grinned that Marauder grin of his that always made her a bit nervous as to what was coming next. Without warning, he was suddenly hoisting her up into the air, tossing her over his shoulder.

"Sirius," she shrieked in surprise. "Put me down."

He laughed as he turned, glancing around them. "Not a chance."

He caught sight of a particularly deep looking snowdrift and began to purposefully stalk towards it. On his shoulder, Samantha began to squirm, trying to break out of his hold, but she was no match to his strength. He reached the drift, and grinning to himself, dumped his load into the deeper part of the snowdrift, laughing as she shrieked once again before completely disappearing under the snow. A moment later, she reemerged, spluttering and covered in the powdery substance.

"You…you…" In her surprise, she could not think of something to say, so she crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at him. "You're not very nice."

He continued to grin down at you. "You expected less?"

She huffed at him and turned her gaze away. "I don't think I want to speak to you anymore."

He watched her for a moment before shaking his head and stepping towards her. "Come on," he said, holding his hand out to her. "You're going to catch a cold."

She turned to glare at his offered hand for a long moment before reaching out to take it. Sirius realized her intentions a moment too late, and he suddenly found himself sprawled face down in the snow beside her.

He pushed himself up, shaking the snow from his hair, and turned a startled looking towards her, finding her watching him with a smug smirk on her face. He couldn't help but smile back at her.

"You've been spending too much time with me."

"I've always been a fast learner," she replied, a smile replacing the smirk.

"Except in Transfiguration."

She scowled at him, but did not have an argument for that. He grinned at her once again. "But it's alright. I think I can handle dating a girl who's no good in Transfiguration."

"You're asking for it, Black."

"Am I now?" he teased. "I don't think you'll-"

He was cut off when a snowball smacked him in the face. Shaking his head to rid his face of the offending snow, he turned a sharp look to the girl blinking at him, her face blank.

"That," he whispered, "Was a mistake."

Uncertainty flashed across her face for the briefest of moments before he attacked, lunging himself at her, tackling her back into the snow. She was pinned under him and met his gaze challengingly.

"I have the upper hand," he told her smugly. "Do you surrender?"

"No way," she replied, even though he leaning over her, holding her arms down, not allowing her to move.

He shrugged. "If that's your choice then."

He released her arms to being his hands down to her sides. She only had a moment to wonder what he was up to before he began to tickle her.

"Sirius, no," she pleaded.

He paid her no attention, and she began to wiggle beneath him as giggles escaped her lips. She'd never told Sirius that she was ticklish. She knew better. She was sure James had mentioned it at some point. She would need to have a word with him later.

"Please," she gasped, breathless. "Stop."

She reached up to try and push his arms away, but he was too strong.

"Sirius…"

He grinned down at her. "Do you surrender then?"

"Yes," she managed to say. "Yes, just stop."

He relented, ceasing his tickling, releasing her and sitting himself beside her as she continued to lay in the snow and catch her breath. She narrowed her eyes and turned her gaze to him.

"That was low."

He pointed at himself with a smirk. "Marauder."

She shook her head and pushed herself up. She gave him no warning at all before she launched herself at him, catching him in the chest. He fell to his back, her on top of him, with a loud "oof". She grinned down at him, looking quite pleased with herself.

"See?" she said. "I am a fast learner."

"I suppose you are." His hand moved to the side of her face, his thumb rubbing her cheek. "It seems that now you have the upper hand."

She smiled softly at him and moved her head down to press her lips to his. He made a sound of approval in the back of his throat as he returned her kiss. Gently, he rolled her over onto her back, using his hand to prop himself over her as they continued to kiss.

Eventually, he felt her hands pushing at his shoulders, and he reluctantly pulled away.

"What's wrong?"

She gave him a sheepish grin. "Nothing really. Except we're lying in the snow and my robes are now rather wet and it's rather cold out here."

"Oh."

It was then that he realized that it was indeed rather cold, especially since his cloak was nearly soaked through. He imagined hers would be even more soaked.

"It is a bit cold out here, isn't it?"

She giggled at him. "A bit, yes."

He pushed himself to his feet, offering her both of his hands to pull her to her feet. When she was standing, he noticed how flushed her cheeks were, how damp even her hair had become.

"I have an idea," he told her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and beginning to lead her towards the castle. "Why don't we go to the kitchens? We can warm up by the fire with a warm meal and a mug of hot chocolate."

She smiled, and burrowed into his side. "It sounds like the perfect ending to the day."

They spent the rest of the evening curled up by the kitchen's fire with bowls of hot soup and mugs of hot chocolate. And Sirius decided that it was indeed the perfect ending to the day.

* * *

One evening in the last week of February found Sirius alone in the library, a very rare occasion. He normally preferred to just do his homework in the common room in the company of his friends, but Gryffindor had defeated Hufflepuff in a quidditch match a few days prior and his house had yet to stop celebrating the fact that the cup was only one match away from being theirs. None of his fellow Marauders had wanted to accompany him to the library; he was the only one behind on homework. It was probably best; he'd work better with no distractions. He had already been working for over an hour, working undisturbed.

He remained undisturbed for nearly another hour, and he was nearly ready to return to the common room, when a shadow fell over him. He glanced up, expecting to find one of his friends or even the rare girl that still tried to pull him off to a corner to spend time together, but instead he was surprised to find a boy who did not look very unlike him. They shared the same eyes, the same high cheekbones, the same thick, black hair, though he kept his cut shorter. Sirius's eyes narrowed.

"What do you want, Regulus?" he asked his brother, turning his attention back to the Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook in front of him. He had not spoken to his brother since he had stormed out of his home back in July.

He heard Regulus pull out the chair across from him and as he sat down, Sirius tightened his grip on his quill.

"It's been a long while since we've spoken, is all," Regulus said innocently enough.

Sirius glanced up at him. "Exactly. For you to have sought me out now, you obviously want something."

"We're brothers. Why can't we just chat without there being any strings attached?"

Sirius eyes his brother distrustfully for a moment before dropping his gaze back down to his homework. "Chat away then."

"I've noticed you've been spending all of your time with one particular girl lately." Regulus's voice was casual, giving off the air that he had only brought up the subject because he needed something to talk about and he had grasped what had first come to mind. But Sirius knew better. "Is there something going on between you and her? Dawson? There have been rumors."

Sirius stilled his quill and looked up at Regulus sharply. "I don't believe that's any of your business," he told him, his voice taking on a warning tone.

"You're family," Regulus pointed out. "Anything to do with family is my business."

"I'm no longer family," Sirius said lowly. "I'm off the tree, remember?"

"Even mother can't change blood," Regulus replied.

"Blood's not what matters," Sirius snapped, closing his book and gathering his things, standing from his chair.

Regulus rose from his chair as well. "I'm not done."

Sirius snorted, scooping his things into his arms. "I am."

Regulus stepped into Sirius's path as he reached into his robes, pulling out a letter. "I was told to give you this." Sirius's name was on the envelope, and he recognized the handwriting all too well.

"She couldn't send a letter directly to me?" Sirius scoffed, giving the letter a disgusted look.

"She thought that if she did, you would rip it up without opening it."

Sirius laughed shortly. "She's right. I would have. What does she want that's so important?"

"I don't know," Regulus responded with a slight shrug. "Though I have an idea."

Sirius's eyes flashed. "You've been telling her what I'm up to."

"She's been asking."

"You still do everything she asks of you like the perfect son you are, don't you?" Sirius growled. "I don't want to know what she has to say, so you can just keep the letter."

Regulus gave his brother a hard look, placing the letter on top of the stack of things in Sirius's arms. "I was told to give it to you," he repeated. "She's not pleased; her eldest son dating a filthy blood traitor."

Sirius's eyes flashed dangerously, and if his arms hadn't been full, he was sure that he would have a hold of his brother by this point.

"Who I date is not your business and it sure as hell isn't her business. You stay away from us," Sirius snarled, brushing past his brother and striding out of the library.

He was still fuming when he reached the common room. Glancing around, he caught sight of Samantha. She was alone, seated on the floor in front of the fire, a book opened in her lap. Deciding that her company was all that he wanted right now, he made his way to her. Setting his belongings down, Sirius lowered himself to the floor beside her.

"Did you get your homework done?" she asked him, not looking up from her book.

"Mostly," he replied, his gaze glued to the fire.

She glanced at him when she heard the distance to his voice that told her that his mind was elsewhere.

"Sirius, are you alright?"

For a long moment, Sirius made no indication that he had heard her. Eventually, he reached for the letter, holding it in front of him.

"From my mother," he said softly.

"You haven't opened it," Samantha observed.

"I have no wish to see what she has to say. She no longer has any say in my life."

"You're not even curious as to what she wants after all this time?"

Sirius shrugged, shook his head. "Regulus gave me a good enough idea on what she wants. Seems like he's been busy telling her all about everything I'm up to. I'm sure it's a paragraph-long rant asking how I dare date a blood-traitor, another paragraph devoted to calling me a disgrace, and then the perfect finish of threats for if I don't break up with you right away."

"Just your typical letter, then," Samantha replied with a weak smile.

Sirius glanced at her sharply, his eyes searching her face. "Her threats are empty. And I've never listened to what she says. And even if I did, I wouldn't listen to her about this. I never will."

She smiled at how worry he sounded, at how hard he seemed to be searching for words to make her understand. "I know," was her simple reply.

Sirius returned her smile, looking relieved to find her unconcerned. He placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned over, brushing his lips over her forehead. Releasing her, he tossed the unopened letter into the fire. Samantha moved closer to him, her book forgotten, and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Sirius's arm wrapped around her, holding her tightly, and together they watched the letter turn to ash.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter. **

**Sorry for the delay! Between my quick trip to the beach and then coming home to help with my roommate's sister's wedding, I hardly had any free time. I'm going to try my best to have an update ready for Monday, but I'm apparently going to the newlywed's new apartment this weekend to help decorate and open wedding gifts. But hopefully I can have something ready for Monday.**

**A huge thanks to those that reviewed! I love to hear your feedback!**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Eighteen

The first week in March brought the next full moon. Remus was feeling its effects at the start of the week, and by the time the day before the full moon arrived, he was not feeling well enough to get out of bed. The other Marauders took turns checking on him between classes, and they made sure to bring him food after meals. Samantha had been worried about him, and at dinner, when Sirius told her he was going home for the night to see his mother who was ill again, she furrowed her brow, but luckily did not question him further.

Sirius knew it sounded strange that Remus, ill himself, would be journeying home to visit his ill mother. But it was all he had to tell her. When Sirius, James, and Peter were leaving to go meet Remus in the Shrieking Shack, Sirius told her that they were going to be about the castle planning pranks and that he would see her in the morning. This she did not question, but he wondered how long he could keep up flat out lying to her.

Between all of the Marauders being off for the night, Lily's patrolling, and Amber off with her latest escapade- she couldn't remember what house he was in-, Samantha suddenly found that she had the night to herself. She planned to take advantage of the night alone to pen letters to her father, mother, and brother. She went up to the sixth year girls' dorm, hoping to find it empty so that she could have some time to herself, and she was pleased to find that Morgan and Courtney were elsewhere.

It did not take long for her to be settled in her bed with several pieces of parchment for her letters. She had her Transfiguration book as well, so that she could have something to bear down on. She had chosen the textbook in hopes that, when she was ready to sleep, she would choose to read the it instead of going through the effort to get up and find another book. She doubted that this theory would work, but supposed it didn't hurt to try.

She wrote her brother first. They had traded several letters since she had returned in January; at least a letter a week. He worried for her. Though he liked Sirius and he had told her he was happy for her, he couldn't help but worry that Sirius was going to end up hurting her like Oliver had. She promised him that Sirius would not do the same, that they were happy. He insisted that she give him updates in every letter. She listened to his wishes for the most part, though she did not include everything.

When she finished the letter to her brother with a closing paragraph updating him on their quidditch standings- though she was sure James kept him updated on that- she began a letter to her father and mother. She did not give them any details of her relationship with Sirius, but she did mention it to let them know that it was going well before moving on to other things. Nearly half of the parchment was filled before she heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

Her heart sunk when the door to the dorm opened and Morgan slipped inside. Samantha focused all her attention on her letter, hoping that Morgan would do whatever it was she had come up here to do without speaking to her. She nearly got her wish. Morgan moved to her trunk, rifling through it for a moment before finding whatever she was looking for and turning back to the door without speaking. But halfway through, she turned, and stared at Samantha. Unable to ignore the stare, Samantha looked up at her, eyebrow raised in question.

"Yes?" she asked with as much patience as she could muster.

Morgan stared at her a moment longer before she spoke, taking a few steps towards the bed where Samantha sat eying her warily.

"Do you think we could have a little chat?" Morgan asked her, sounding innocent enough. "You know. Girl to girl?"

"I suppose so," Samantha replied hesitantly. If Morgan wanted a girl to girl chat, why didn't she just seek Courtney out?

"I'm just curious," Morgan said when Samantha gave her what could be taken as permission to go ahead, "As to how your relationship with Sirius Black is going?"

_That_ was why Morgan could not have this girl to girl chat with Courtney. Samantha immediately became on her guard, and set her quill down. She would have to put all of her attention into this conversation if she was to make sure she did not slip up and say something to Morgan Devereaux that she would regret.

"It's going fine," she replied with a shrug.

"Really?" Samantha could not decide if her surprised look was fake or not. "Nothing at all's gone wrong?"

"You sound disappointed."

Morgan ran a hand through her dark hair. "I just don't think you're looking at this realistically."

Samantha's eyebrows rose, and she briefly pursed her lips to keep herself from saying what she was tempted to. "What do you mean by that?" she asked instead.

Morgan shrugged. "You're the first girl he's been with exclusively. I'm just concerned. You've not had much dealings with boys, especially ones like him. I'm worried you're going to end up with your heart broken if you put too much hope into him."

Letting out a short laugh, Samantha picked her quill back up, repositioning her letter in front of her. "I thank you for your concern, but I can take care of myself. Besides," she glanced back over at Morgan, "I know him better than you do."

Morgan smirked. "I'm know him better in some ways, I'm sure. And boys like him can't stay tied down forever. He'll need to move on one day."

Samantha shook her head, and began to continue the letter to her parents. Morgan watched her with a scowl on her face, none too pleased at how unconcerned the other girl was. Eventually, she shrugged, and the smirk reappeared.

"Just don't tell me I didn't warn you. Boys like him are all the same, and they never change."

She turned on her heel and strode out of the room, leaving Samantha to her letter. For nearly an hour after being left alone, Samantha's lips remained pursed tightly, and she continuously told herself that listening to Morgan never turned out well. She wished that there was not a small part of her that wondered if what Morgan had said was true.

* * *

Though she'd pondered Morgan's words at first, by the time she saw Sirius the next morning at breakfast, looking as if he had not gone to bed until very late, she had pushed the conversation from her mind. She knew Sirius. Morgan was only trying to play with her head.

As the days passed, the coming of spring became more and more anticipated. The air warmed, and the snow disappeared from the ground. Students began spending more time outside, a nice change of scenery for them to work on their homework. By the time mid-March had arrived, Samantha had forgotten about what Morgan had said to her. Sirius was too sweet, he treated her too well, for her words to be true.

"Are you warm enough?"

Samantha smiled and nodded against his chest. "I'm fine."

They were lying on the Astronomy Tower, looking up at the stars. Sirius had led her up there after dinner so that they could spend time alone, something that was rare to come by these days between their class, homework, and Sirius's quidditch.

Sirius had produced two blankets for them. One they were lying on top of, Samantha curled beside him, her head resting on his chest, and his hand on her back. The other blanket was wrapped tightly around them, trapping their body heat and keeping them warm in the cool, late-winter breeze.

"Sometimes I miss Astronomy class," she said.

Sirius wrinkled his nose, glancing down at her. "Really?"

She tilted her head up so that she could look at him. "What, you weren't fond of the subject?"

He snorted and shook his head. "My family likes to name themselves after stars and constellations, remember? The last thing I wanted was to take a class that had to remind me of my family even more. That being said, I was rather good at the subject for the same reason."

"Hm, I suppose I can understand that. I think what I liked most was coming to class while the rest of the castle was sleeping, walking through the quiet corridors late at night."

"Well," Sirius responded with a grin, "You're dating the right bloke then.. He happens to enjoy going out after hours."

"Going to class was not breaking any rules."

He sighed deeply and shook his head. "That takes away all the excitement."

She did not bother to disagree, and silence fell between them as they studied the bright stars above them. Samantha's eyes traced the familiar constellations, silently quizzing herself to see how much she remembered from Astronomy.

After a while, Sirius's quiet voice broke the silence.

"Do you know which constellation is my favorite?"

She smiled, and her eyes skimmed across the sky. "My guess would be the one that includes the brightest star in the sky."

He glanced at the star he had been named after before shaking his head. "Good guess, but no. My favorite is the one next to it. Columba."

She frowned slightly. Columba was a lesser-known constellation just south of Canis Major. The constellation was faint and small, made up of only five stars.

"Really?" she asked, her eyes tracing the outline of the dove.

"The dove is a symbol of gentleness, constancy, and peace," he explained, rubbing his hand down her back. "It reminds me of you."

She smiled softly, and glanced up at him. "You're so flattering, Black."

He gave her an impish grin. "I try my hardest. But it is true. I'll always think of you when I see that constellation, now. Right beside my own constellation."

She shifted closer to him, her hand moving to rest on his chest. "How very fitting."

Their lips met in a brief kiss before she lay her head back on his chest. A comfortable silence spread between them, and she felt as if she could stay all night here, in his arms as they lay beneath the stars. His hand slowly moved up and down her back, and she gradually began to grow tired. She was sure she dozed off a little, because after a while, Sirius shifted slightly, causing her to jerk in surprise.

"We should probably head back soon," he murmured, sounding as sleepy as she felt. "I forgot James's invisibility cloak and I'd rather not risk another lovely detention with Filch."

With a deep sigh, she pushed herself up and, grunting from the effort, Sirius followed. Samantha made to stand, but he caught her hand to stop her, pulling her back down beside him.

"Wait a moment," he said at her questioning look. "I've got something for you."

Her brow furrowed. "What's the occasion? My birthday's not until next month."

"I don't need an occasion to give you a gift," he informed her.

She shook her head. "You're going to spoil me."

"I'm allowed to do that if I want," Sirius replied with a smile.

Samantha shrugged. "Well, I don't suppose I'll stop you. What is this mysterious gift, then?"

Sirius shifted slightly before pulling a book from behind his back. She only took a moment to wonder where he had been hiding it before he handed it to her. It was a large, leather-bound book, and she lightly ran her hand over the gold lettering that simply read _Greek Mythology_. Her gaze moved back up to Sirius, who was watching her closely. At the puzzled look she gave him, he shrugged.

"When you talked about it, you sounded like you once really loved the subject. I thought it was a shame that you no longer had anything to do with it because of past memories, so I thought that maybe if I gave you this, you could create new memories, and rekindle your love for the subject."

She dropped her gaze back to the cover, running her hand against the lettering again. A small smile spread across her lips.

"I love it," she told him, meeting his expectant gaze.

"Really?" He sounded surprised, and did not seem to believe her.

"Really," she assured him. "I do. I've never read this book before. I'm looking forward to going through it."

He smiled softly at her and leaned towards her, bringing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. She breathed deeply as she leaned into him, the book slipping from her hands to rest between them. Their prior tiredness was forgotten as they became lost in each other.

"You're an amazing girl, Sammie," he breathed when they separated with the smallest of spaces.

She quirked an eyebrow at him, and he fought the urge to laugh at the bewildered look on her face.

"Did you just call me Sammie?"

At the incredulous sound of her voice, he did laugh.

"I did, though it just sort of slipped out," he admitted. "Why? Do you not like the name?"

She shrugged. "I hate it," she told him with a wrinkle of her nose. "I've banned people from calling me that, but James and Adrien get a particular pleasure from teasing me with the name on occasion. But…" she tilted her head, and gazed at him thoughtfully. "I think I like it when you call me that."

"Really?" he asked her, the tease slipping from his smile.

She nodded, moving her hand to rest on his knee. "Really," she assured him. "From you, it's quite endearing."

He leaned closer to her, his eyes gazing into her own, and not for the first time, she noticed how endless they seemed to be.

"I like being the exception," he whispered to her before closing the distance between them. The fact that curfew was nearly upon them became forgotten, and for a long while, they did not remember.

* * *

It was rare for Sirius to call Samantha by his new nickname for her. He was careful to only use it when they were alone, and only if they were doing things far more interesting than their homework. Over the next couple of weeks, time alone was hard to come by, but they stole little moments together when they were able.

Though she had pushed Morgan's words from her mind, Samantha caught the other girl watching her and Sirius several times. She did her best to ignore her, something she found easier when his hand was resting on her back or on her leg or if his arm was around her waist, when she was self-assured that Sirius's main focus of attention was her. She hated herself for thinking that way. She knew she should speak to Sirius about it, but a small voice in her head said that just because he assured her that what Morgan had said to her was nonsense didn't necessarily mean he was telling her the truth.

"You're lucky we don't have practice tonight, Padfoot," James said at dinner one night towards the end of March.

With his eyebrows raised, Sirius took a bite of his potatoes. "I'd say you're lucky, Prongs. I for one wouldn't have minded having an excuse to miss one of your practices."

"What does Professor Slughorn want, anyway?" Peter asked as they all ignored the dirty look James shot Sirius.

After potions that day, Professor Slughorn had asked Sirius to come have a chat with him after dinner. Despite what he'd said to James, Sirius wished they did have quidditch practice that night. Then he would have had a reason to not have to meet with the potions professor.

Sirius shrugged. "Dunno. Probably wants to try and get me to go to one of his dinners or something. He eventually gave up on me, but I suppose now that Sam and I are together, he figures he should start trying. I won't be surprised if he tries to get her to talk me into going next."

At Sirius's accusing glance, Samantha smiled. "The dinners aren't that bad."

James snorted. "Is that why you curse Adrien every single time we go to one?"

Samantha's face darkened. "Because he drug us to one of those dinners our first year with no warning about what to expect. And you know that once you go to one, it's nearly impossible to get out of others."

"At that," James told her, "Is why I schedule quidditch practices on the same night as his dinners."

Sirius sighed, glancing around the Great Hall. Many students had already gone back to their common rooms, and Slughorn's seat at the staff table was vacant.

"I should go," he said in a voice that suggested he really did not want to go through with meeting with Slughorn. "I just want to get this over with."

"I'll head down there in a bit," Samantha told him as he stood. "So that we can walk back to the common room together."

Sirius smiled gratefully and leaned down to give her a quick kiss, ignoring the disgusted look that crossed James's face.

"He said it would only take a few minutes," he told her.

She nodded. "I'll be right behind you then."

"Will someone please burn my eyes?" James muttered, rubbing his palms over his closed eyelids as Sirius strode from the Great Hall. As Peter and Remus chuckled, Samantha rolled her eyes and took a sip of her pumpkin juice. "Or maybe my brain. Anything to never have to see that again."

Samantha scowled at him. "Don't make a big deal out of nothing, James."

"I gave him permission to ask you on a date," James said to her, pointing his finger at her from across the table. "That does not mean that I want to see the two of you snogging."

"I would hardly call that snogging."

"Maybe not that time, but it's only a matter of time before it gets worse."

Her eyes glanced heavenward briefly. "Not in front of you. Or anyone else for that matter."

James pulled a face again. "Can we change the subject now?"

"Yes, please," Samantha agreed.

"You do realize the only reason the conversation was being had at all was because of you, don't you?" Remus drawled from his seat beside James where he had thus far remained silent.

"Stuff it, Moony," James snapped.

"He has a point," Peter spoke up, earning himself a glare.

Samantha nodded in agreement, and James once again rounded on her. They continued to go back in forth, and their conversation grew more and more teasing, much to the amusement of Remus and Peter. Eventually, Samantha stood, throwing her back pack over her shoulder.

"I hate to cut this short, but Sirius will be wondering where I am."

James waved at her dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Wouldn't want to keep him waiting, would we?"

She shook her head at him. "I'll see you guys in a bit."

James shouted something after her as she went, but she paid him no mind as she made her way from the Great Hall towards Slughorn's office. She'd probably run into Sirius before she even made it there.

* * *

Sirius groaned as Slughorn's office door closed behind him. He'd been right about what the potions professor had wanted to speak to him about. Slughorn had been trying to collect him since his first year at Hogwarts, but Sirius had no wish to take part in dinners for students that Slughorn thought special enough. Sirius knew that Slughorn wanted him to take part because of who his family was, and even back then, he wished to be associated with them as little as possible. His little brother did not agree. Regulus had been attending the dinner parties for his four years at Hogwarts.

Sirius had danced around the subject, something that years of practice had made him well versed at doing. Slughorn seemed a little put out about being declined again, but Sirius did not particularly care. He did not want to suffer through stuffy dinner parties, especially while he was at Hogwarts.

He glanced around the corridor. Despite a few students wandering around after dinner, the corridor was empty and Samantha was nowhere in sight. He began to make his way back towards the direction of the Great Hall. She'd likely left a little late and was currently on her way to meet him. They'd meet somewhere in the middle.

He was not paying much attention to his surroundings, only enough to avoid walking into anyone going in the opposite direction. When someone suddenly stepped in front of him, he was surprised, and stopped shortly, shifting his attention to whomever had stepped into his path.

He should not have been surprised to find Morgan Devereux peering up at him, her chocolate eyes watching him appreciatively, a devious smile playing across her lips.

"Hello, Sirius," she said in the same voice she had used in the midst of their past moments together, a voice that he had once greatly enjoyed.

"Devereux," Sirius replied, nodding to her in greeting.

Morgan flipped her long, dark hair over her shoulder. "Since when have we been on last name basis?"

"It's been awhile since we've spoken," Sirius pointed out. He leaned his shoulder against the wall, shifting his weight slightly, glancing over Morgan's head to see if Samantha was coming yet. He was disappointed to find that she wasn't. It would have been an excuse to cut this conversation off without seeming rude. "I feel as if I barely know you anymore."

"Really?" She stepped closer to him, her brown eyes studying his grey ones. "I'd say," she said softly, "That we know each other rather well."

Sirius sighed heavily, trying his best to hide his frustration. Ever since he had gotten together with Samantha, Morgan had backed off, though he'd catch her watching him every now and then. He should have known that she was only biding her time.

"Morgan-"

He tried to move around her, but she placed a hand on his chest, stilling him. Her other hand came up so that she could place a finger over his lips, halting his words. He knew that now his frustration had to be showing on his face.

She had moved closer to him and was now leaning against him. He could have easily forced her away, but as annoying as he found her, he did not want to accidentally hurt her. His frustration was quickly melting into irritation.

"Do you know how beautiful you are, Sirius?" Morgan whispered to him, her face only inches from his own. "You could do so much better than Samantha Dawson."

Sirius bit back the angry retort that rose to his lips. His restraint thus far had impressed him, but he knew anger would not be the quickest way to get her to back off. He would have forced her away by this point if he thought that she was a threat, but he knew her well enough to know that she was all talk. So it was understandable that he was taken completely by surprise when he found her lips suddenly pressed against his.

He was too shocked to react. He couldn't help the memories that flashed through his head of the times he'd spent with Morgan in the past; she was an exceptionally good kisser and her kiss brought them back, no matter how unwanted they were.

Recovering, Sirius moved his hands to her arms, which were slowly making their way around his waist. He did not yet have a chance to push her away when he heard a voice that made his veins run cold and his heart drop.

"I see your meeting with Professor Slughorn is going well."

At the voice, Sirius shoved at Morgan's arms, though in his shock, his shove proved to be rather ineffective. It made Morgan break off the kiss, but she was still standing against him, her hands on his waist. She glanced up at Sirius, whose face was twisted in horror and dismay, before looking down the corridor, a smirk upon her lips.

Samantha stood a little ways down the corridor, looking as if she had frozen in her steps. Her jaw was clenched tightly, lines of anger creasing her face, but all Sirius could see were her blue eyes filled with hurt.

"You're just like him after all." He could hear the way her voice threatened to crack, how hard she was fighting to keep her voice steady. "And I was stupid enough to fall for it again."

He shook his head desperately, silently willing her to see what had really happened. "Sam-"

"Don't," she said sharply, cutting him off. "Just don't." She glanced at Morgan briefly before holding his gaze steadily. A mask fell over her face, hiding all emotion from him. "We're done."

He had not thought it would be possible for his heart to sink further, but at those words it did. His limbs felt like lead, and he could not convince himself that this was really happening. Samantha turned on her heel and began to hurry back down the corridor, likely back to toward the common room. Sirius called after her, but she ignored him every time, and was soon out of sight.

"Oops," Morgan said, her voice not sounding the least bit sorry.

Sirius turned his attention to her, pinning her with a furious glare, roughly shoving her away. She finally released his waist as she stumbled back several steps, looking surprised at his fury.

"What the _hell_?" he roared at her, his eyes dark with anger. "What the bloody hell possessed you with the idea that you had any right at all to pull something like that."

Morgan recovered from her surprise and shrugged. "I was only doing you a favor. I tried to warn her that it was only a matter of time before a guy like you broke her heart, but she wouldn't listen. I was only helping you speed up the process. I thought it would be easier that way."

His eyes flashed. "You told her…You had absolutely no right! You can't have everything you want, _Devereux_, so stop acting like you can. I promised her that I would never hurt her, and thanks to you, you've made her believe that everything I've said to her is a lie. I don't want you speaking to either one of us again."

"Sirius..." she began, taking a step towards him.

"Get the hell away from me," Sirius snapped. "And stay away. You'd better hope I can fix this."

Without a second glance Morgan's way, he roughly brushed past her and quickly made his way down the corridor in the direction Samantha had gone. He hoped she had gone back to the common room. He had to talk to her. He knew it would be hard to explain what she had seen, but he had to make her understand that he had allowed Morgan to get too close, that he had made the mistake of underestimating her. He would swear to her that he would never hurt her as many times as it took. He couldn't lose her. He couldn't allow something like this to come between them.

He hoped that he might catch her before she reached the common room, that he could try and explain without prying eyes. He was not sure what he would say, but he had to do something. And he did not want to have such a conversation, or even just start one, in front of the whole of Gryffindor house.

But he still had not caught her when he reached the seventh floor corridor that lead to the portrait of the Fat Lady. What he did not see was Samantha waiting for him to pass her by in a side corridor on the fifth floor. After he passed, she peeked around the corner to watch him disappear. And when he was out of sight, she leaned against the wall, slowly sliding to the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. She allowed her mask to drop and the tears to fall.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter. **

**Sorry for the wait! This is probably a good time to say that in a week, I move back to school, so I can pretty much guarantee that updates from now on will not be weekly and will be more sporadic. I'll do my best to update fairy often, though school work will be my priority. This week, I've been busy shopping for things I need and I still have a lot to do. This chapter is a bit loger as I wanted to get to summer. So at least the wait meant a longer chapter.**

**As always, a huge thank you to those that take the time to review! I love hearing what you think. **

* * *

Fate

Chapter Nineteen

Sirius burst into the common room, his eyes glancing around, but he found no sign that Samantha had even passed through. Amber sat at a table working on homework, and he was sure she would have noticed if Samantha had come in upset. He caught sight his fellow Marauders gathered towards the back of the common room, but he made his way to the stairs to the boys' dorms instead. He did not want to explain this to James at the moment.

He should have known it would not be that simple, however. James glanced up as he passed, and likely saw whatever look was on his face, because he was on his feet and following him after he gestured for Remus and Peter to stay where they were. James could be far too perceptive when he wanted to be.

Sirius did not wait for James's questions when he burst into the room. He headed directly to James's trunk, which he knew held the Marauder's Map. He heard James enter the room behind him just as he began to dig around in search of the map.

"Oy," James exclaimed. "That's my stuff you've got your hands in."

"Not now, Prongs," Sirius said through clenched teeth. He felt the map against his fingers and grasped it, pulling it free of the rest of James's belongings. He turned to face James to find the other boy watching him with a deep frown.

"What did you do?" James asked when Sirius faced him.

"What makes you think I did anything?" He tried his best to sound offended, but he knew James knew him too well to be fooled.

"I'm not an idiot, Sirius. Sam left to meet you after dinner. You come back alone and in a panic, searching for the map. Either there's someone else in Hogwarts you have a desperate need to see, or you want to find out where she went after she ran away from you."

James's arms were crossed over his chest, his hazel eyes narrowed as he watched Sirius expectantly, waiting for a reply. Eventually, Sirius sighed heavily, slumping his shoulders.

"I screwed up, Prongs."

James seemed startled by this blunt admission, by the defeat in Sirius's voice. He stood, staring at him, looking as if he were trying to decide if he was going to be sympathetic towards whatever he had done or if he was going to end up shoving him against the wall, cursing him for all that he was worth.

"Tell me what happened."

It was rare for James to sound so serious, and Sirius knew better than to try and joke about what had happened. He couldn't have brought himself to anyway.

"I ran into Morgan on my way to meet Sam," he said to James quietly. "I was stupid. I let her get too close. I honestly didn't think she would do anything; she's always been all talk, y'know. The next thing I knew, she was kissing me. I was too startled to react, but when I did start to try to push her away…Sam found us."

James stared at him for a long moment before he spoke.

"_Merlin_, Sirius."

"I know," Sirius exploded, beginning to furiously pace the room. "I screwed up. I underestimated that girl when I should have known better. I _never_ wanted to hurt her, Prongs. I've got to make her see that, I've got to try and explain. That's why I need the map. I'm going to find her, tell her what happened, try to-"

"No."

Sirius stopped and turned a startled look to James.

"No?"

James shook his head. "No. Give me the map."

"Wha-Prongs, I've got to go find her. I've got to tell her what happened, I've got to explain."

"Not tonight, Padfoot," James told him quietly. "I trusted you not to hurt her when I told you that you could ask her on a date." Sirius opened his mouth to argue, but James did not give him a chance to speak. "I understand. I know you didn't mean it. But the fact remains that you hurt her, and now I have to make a choice. And right now, she needs me more than you do. I'm not telling you that you can't talk to her. But I am telling you that you can't talk to her right now. Let me go to her, be there for her. If it comes up, I'll tell her what you said happened, but I'm not going to find her to explain what happened. She's upset, and she doesn't need to be alone."

Sirius's gaze was glued to the floor as he nodded. "I understand," he said softly. "She wouldn't listen to me right now anyway, I'm sure. Go on."

Without looking up, Sirius offered the map to James, who took it from his hand and turned to his bed, spreading the map out and activating it. Sirius knew better than to try and peek over his shoulder.

James scanned the map for a moment until he found the dot labeled 'Samantha Dawson.' She was moving at the moment, and after watching her, he realized she was going to the library. It made sense. She would be avoiding the common room, and she'd want somewhere quiet to go.

"Found her," James muttered. He cleared the map before folding it up and slipping it into his robes. He made to leave the room, but paused and turned back to Sirius. "I am sorry, mate. I know you didn't mean for this to happen. Hopefully it will work out."

Sirius nodded, but did not trust himself to speak. James watched him a moment longer before he turned and slipped from the room. After James was gone, Sirius walked over to his bed, slowly sinking to the edge of the mattress, dropping his forehead into his hands, wondering why this day had gone so wrong.

James made his way through the common room quickly, not wanting to be stopped by anyone on his way through. He resisted the urge to glance over where Remus and Peter were sitting. They were likely confused as to what was going on, and once they realized Sirius had remained upstairs, he was sure they would go up to find out what was wrong.

As he made his way through the corridors, he briefly wondered if he should have grabbed his invisibility cloak, but he did not bother to dwell on in long as he would not go back for it either way. He made it to the library in record time, and he forced himself to slow his pace before he entered through the doors, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

There were several students scattered around the tables. He caught sight of Lily bent over a book, her back to him. He began weaving through the stacks of books. He hated that this had happened when just over an hour ago at dinner, they had all been laughing and joking around, completely oblivious to how this day was going to turn out. A part of him wanted to be furious at Sirius for allowing this to happen, but he knew that Sirius was not to blame. Not really.

He found her at the back of the library. Her back was pressed against the bookshelves that ran along the back wall, her knees draw up to her chest, her forehead pressed to them. He could tell by the way her shoulders were shaking that she was trying to suppress sobs.

He swallowed hard as he approached her. He did not speak as he sunk to the floor beside her, nor did he make a sound as he wrapped his arms around her. She did not need to look to know who it was, and she leaned against him, moving her forehead from her knees to press into his chest. She unwrapped her arms from her legs to clutch at his robes, and he pressed his face to her hair. For several long minutes, they stayed that way, neither one of them speaking. But James could not stay silent forever.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her. "I should have known something like this would happen."

She shook her head against his chest. "You couldn't have known," she mumbled.

She pulled away from him, loosely wrapping her arms around her legs. As she gazed at the bookcase in front of them, he noticed how lost she looked, and again he hated himself for letting this happen. He should have never given Sirius the okay to ask her on a date.

"It's not your fault," she said quietly. He was surprised that she knew what he was thinking even when she was so upset. "I thought he had changed."

James sighed, and shook his head. "Maybe you ought to talk to him about it." He hated that her view of Sirius had changed so quickly due to a stupid stunt pulled by Morgan Devereux.

She shook her head immediately. "No. I don't want to talk to him about it. I don't want to talk to him about anything."

"What if I told you it was all a misunderstanding? That Morgan kissed him against his will?"

Something flashed across her face that was gone too quickly for him to place.

"I don't care," she said firmly. "I don't want to hear any excuses for him. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened. And there's no telling what would have happened if I hadn't come upon them."

James shook his head at her. "Sam-"

"No." She cut him off with a sharp glance. "I'm through with putting my trust into someone just so they can break it. I told him we were done and I mean it."

James wanted to argue with her, wanted to somehow convince her that Sirius was not at fault, but he took in her exhausted, strained appearance and her red-rimmed eyes and could not bring himself to urge her to forgive. It had to be her choice alone, or she would never be trusting again.

"Alright," he said to her softly. "I understand." And he did, even if he did not want to accept it.

With a soft sigh, she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. He wrapped an arm around her and began to rub her back, a gesture he had used over the years in times when she was upset. Silence fell between them for a long while. Samantha did not want to move again until she was able to fight off the overwhelming feeling she felt to begin crying again.

"Are you feeling up to heading back to the common room?" James asked her eventually when he realized that it had to be getting close to curfew.

Against his shoulder, she nodded, and James stood before helping her up. Her eyes remained closed, and placing a hand on her shoulder, he began to steer her through the stacks of books. By this point, the library was nearly deserted- Madame Pince had begun to shoo students out- but James quickly saw that Lily was still there, gathering her things, getting ready to leave. He quickly changed their path to head her way.

When Lily turned their way, a textbook clutched in her arms, surprise crossed her face to find James Potter walking towards her. The surprise quickly melted away when her eyes slid to who was beside him. She only needed one look at Samantha before she stepped forward, shooting James a quick, questioning look before she embraced her. It took Samantha a moment until she wrapped her arms around her in return, pressing her forehead into the redhead's shoulder. Lily did not need to ask. She had an idea as to what could be wrong.

The three of them slowly made their way back to Gryffindor Tower, and James confirmed Lily's suspicions in a hushed whisper as they walked, his hand still protectively on Samantha's shoulder. When they reached the common room, Samantha was relieved to see that neither Sirius nor Morgan were in sight. At the foot of the stairs that led to the girls' dorms, James pulled her to him and whispered to her that everything would turn out alright and that he would see her in the morning before he allowed Lily to take her upstairs. Their room was empty and Samantha moved straight to her bed, curling up upon it, burying her face into her pillow as she felt herself begin to lose her battle against her tears.

Lily seated herself behind Samantha silently, and began to run her fingers through Samantha's hair. Amber appeared not long after, and took up vigil on Samantha's other side. No one spoke, words were not needed between them. The curtains were closed for privacy, and they sat there for hours offering any comfort they could despite the fact that they had classes the next morning. Eventually, all three of them were lying down, and none of them could say who drifted off first, but they stayed that way all night, and somehow the pain Samantha felt in her heart was lessened just a little from being in the company of friends.

* * *

Sirius was silent the next morning at breakfast as he pushed food that did not remember serving himself around on his plate. When James had returned the night before, he had told him that Samantha did not sound as if she was going to come around, and he did not think it was a good idea for Sirius to try and talk to her. Sirius had yet to decide if he planned on listening to James. He wanted so much to explain to her what had happened the previous evening.

He knew when Samantha had entered the Great Hall by the way James stiffened slightly across from him. As Sirius kept his gaze glued to his plate, he told himself that if she looked at him, even a small glance, then he would talk to her. He waited until she was passing by with Lily and Amber to glance up at them, but her gaze did not come close to falling on him, not even a flicker.

James was watching him as they seat themselves at the other end of the table, but Sirius paid him no attention. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach, and just looking back down at his food made his stomach churn. He angrily pushed the plate away from him, knocking the china against the serving dishes with a loud clang that made him wince.

He spent the entire day in a daze. In classes that Samantha had once sat beside him, she moved to sit between Lily and Amber instead. After Charms, he had to catch himself when he automatically made to move to her side to walk her to lunch. When walking from class to class, his hand felt empty where hers had once rested in his loosely-clenched fist.

He wondered how they had managed to come full circle in a time span of a year.

The days that followed went similarly, but by the time a week had passed, Sirius was adjusting to what had happened. He no longer watched her whenever she passed him by. He grew used to walking down the hall without a hand in his.

He began to grow bitter towards her. A part of him knew that she was not to blame at all, but he couldn't help it. She was the one who refused to listen to what had happened, who would not even consider forgiving him. He could tell that it was hard on James, being torn between his two best friends, but he could not bring himself to care.

As soon as the word got out that Sirius Black and Samantha Dawson had broken up, Sirius noticed an increase in the girls who would approach him and try to strike a conversation with him. He didn't pay much attention to them at first, but it was not long before he found himself in a broom cupboard with a girl from Ravenclaw, and just like that, he fell back into his old habits of moving from girl to girl, though he avoided Morgan Devereux like the plague. Samantha pretended that she did not notice.

On the evening of April the eleventh, Sirius was walking down to the quidditch pitch with James. The big match against Gryffindor and Slytherin that would determine who won the cup was at the end of May, and James was already beginning to increase practices in order to prepare. For once, Sirius did not complain about the practices being increased. They distracted him from thinking about other things, and quidditch seemed the only activity he could participate in that allowed him to completely focus and forget.

"There's no way we can lose this, Padfoot," James was saying as they marched down to the pitch, his broom over his shoulder. "We can't lose to bloody Slytherin."

"We'd never hear the end of it," Sirius agreed. "From you or the Slytherins."

"Which is why we've got to practice harder than ever."

Sirius nodded in agreement, earning himself an odd look from James.

"You usually complain whenever I talk about how hard we have to practice. You hate extra practices."

Sirius shrugged. "I could use the distraction," was his reply.

James gave him a sideways look. "You seem to have been distracting yourself well enough, if that Slytherin girl you were with after dinner was any indication."

There was a disapproving tone to James's voice that Sirius did not miss, and his face dropped into a scowl.

"Don't you start."

"You're not helping matters," James said, ignoring the look Sirius was giving him. "Running off and snogging nearly every girl you see."

"There is no matter to be helped," Sirius muttered darkly. "She refuses to look at me, let alone speak to me, and she doesn't want to hear any excuses. She broke up with me, so I take that as me being able to do whatever I please."

James shook his head, none too pleased at how Sirius was treating the situation. But despite himself, he had to admit that Sirius had a point, so he did not press the matter further.

"It's her birthday, y'know," James said, turning the subject away from the attitude Sirius had had lately.

Sirius clenched his jaw. "I know," he replied shortly. His mind was now on the carefully wrapped bracelet that was in his trunk, wondering what he would now do with it. Throw it out, most likely. He no longer needed it, and he wasn't able to return it. He could not bring himself to gift it to someone else. He'd rather no one have it.

James watched him for a long moment before he said, "I've got the pitch booked for two hours. Reckon that's enough time to get in a good practice?"

At James's change of subject, Sirius smiled, and could not help but notice how he had to force it.

"I reckon so," he replied. In any case, it would give him two hours where he did not have to work hard to distract himself.

* * *

Things did not change much over the next month. Samantha still refused to even look Sirius's way, and Sirius spent his spare time rotating through a handful of girls. If any of them talked too much, or mentioned Samantha's name, he would replace them. He was not looking for a relationship as that had turned out so well last time, and he did not want to hear any gossip, especially about his ex-girlfriend. He told himself it was not because he did not want to hear anyone talk bad about her.

The only way James was able to talk to Samantha was if he went to her. She refused to approach him if Sirius was around. James did not like being torn between them, but he knew it could be worse. They could be asking him to choose between them.

James increased quidditch practices as the big match approached. For once, Sirius did not complain about spending an entire Saturday afternoon out on the pitch, running through a particular play over and over until James deemed it perfect. The concentration it took to perfect a play never failed to distract him.

The match versus Gryffindor and Slytherin fell on a foggy but clear Saturday morning at the end of May. The chatter at breakfast that morning was louder than normal due to the rising excitement and wonder of who would walk away with the cup. Though a few occasional Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were cheering for the Slytherins, most hoped that Gryffindor would come out on top.

"I'm not sure if I want to win or lose," Lily said at breakfast, glancing further down the table where James was talking animatedly to his fellow Marauders, looking quite certain that they would be the champions. "Either way, we won't hear the end of it from Potter."

"Show some support, Lily," Amber scolded her good-naturally. "You should want us to win, of course. Not only will we have the chance to be the best house at quidditch, but there will be a fantastic party tonight."

Across from them, Samantha slowly stirred her cereal, which had long ago turned too soggy to be considered edible. When she did not input her opinion, Amber frowned at her.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

Though the break-up had hit Samantha hard, she had been recovering, and despite avoiding the Marauders as if they were diseased, she recently had seemed to be back to normal. But she had been quiet all morning.

Samantha shook her head, muttering something that sounded like a 'no'.

Amber exchanged a glance with Lily before questioning, "Are we going to sit with Remus and Peter like we normally do or do you want to sit somewhere else?"

"You can sit wherever you like," Samantha replied with a shrug. "I'm not going to the match."

She fought to not glance down the table, where a Gryffindor fifth year had seated herself beside Sirius to wish him good luck.

"Not going to the match?"

Even Lily looked surprised. Even though Samantha did not like flying, she enjoyed the quidditch matches and had only missed one once her fourth year when she had the flu. She'd always gone to support their house and James, and since this was the biggest game he had played as reigning captain, they had expected her to attend.

"Won't Potter be disappointed?" Lily asked. "He's always loved your support for him and his quidditch."

If Samantha was surprised at Lily wondering whether or not James would be disappointed, she did not show it as she shrugged once again.

"He'll understand," was her quiet reply.

"No he won't," Amber said, causing Samantha to glance up at her sharply. "There won't be anything for him to understand or not understand. Because you're going to that match."

"Amber-"

"No arguments," Lily charmed in, causing Samantha to groan. If both of them were in on it, then there was nothing she would be able to do to get out of it. "You're going. It'll be good for you."

"You'll be at the party tonight, too."

That, Samantha would not give in to.

"You don't know if there will even be a party," she argued instead.

"Of course there will be. We have the best team."

By that point, the Gryffindor team was rising from their seats to make their way down to the pitch to prepare for the game and to hear whatever pep talk James's brain cooked up. James caught Samantha's eye and flashed her a grin. She gave him what she hoped was an encouraging smile. Across the room, the Slytherin team was rising as well. She briefly wondered if she could make up some reason for her to walk down to the pitch with James, and sneak up to the common room instead. She quickly threw out that idea. Even if she would tolerate the fact that walking with James meant walking with Sirius, she knew that it would not fool her two friends. And a few minutes later when the students began to trickle out of the Great Hall to head to the pitch, she reluctantly resigned herself to the fact that she would be attending to the game.

They ended up sitting with Peter and Remus. After all, she had nothing against the two of them. She'd missed talking to the two of them on a regular basis, particularly Remus, who she had been friends with since first year. The five of them chatted up until the game started, touching on several subjects but being careful to not bring up Sirius. Samantha hated that his friends felt as if they could not mention him, but she did not voice so out loud. Truthfully, she really did not want to hear anything about him.

The game was long and brutal. Each team seemed just as equally determined to win, and as such, the scores remained close to each other throughout the game. It would all come down to who caught the snitch first.

In a bit of luck for the Slytherin team, their seeker caught sight of the snitch just as Matthew Olmstead, Gryffindor's seeker, fought to avoid a bludger that Sirius nor Mason managed to beat out of the way in time to keep it from distracting him. Matthew put up a good fight in trying to catch up to the Slytherin seeker, but he had too much of a head start, and caught the snitch.

James hung his head in defeat, and the entirety of the Gryffindor team looked disappointed in themselves, though they had fought valiantly. As the Slytherins rose to their feet in deafening cheers, Samantha wondered if she was the only one to notice that Sirius had seemed to not play as hard as he usually did, as if something else were on his mind.

* * *

"I still say we could have won that game," James muttered over a week later at breakfast.

Beside him, Sirius shook his head. "I was off that day."

James waved dismissively at him. "Everyone has an off day, Padfoot. Losing wasn't your fault. We lost together, as a team. Next year, we'll just have to play harder. There's no way I'm letting them get the cup two years in a row."

"Do you reckon that you'll be able to replace the players that are leaving?" Peter asked between bites of sausage.

"Mason's the only one that's leaving," James replied, glancing at Sirius. "Meaning we'll need to find another beater that will work well with Sirius. There's a few Gryffindor's I've had my eye on. As long as we get a good turn-out, we should have a strong team."

"Do the lot of you ever talk about anything else?" Remus asked as he glanced through the Daily Prophet.

"Of course we do," Sirius responded, his voice falsely offended. "We talk about your furry little problem."

"Must you call it that?" Remus asked with an exasperated sigh.

"We could call it your time of the month," Peter suggested.

"And have rumors spreading that you're really a girl," James piped in, causing Sirius and Peter to howl with laughter as Remus gave them a horrified look.

"You will do no such thing," Remus told them sternly. "Or I will not help any of you study for your exams. Which start tomorrow, I feel the need to point out."

That threat instantly shut them up, all three of them having always relied on Remus to help them with any questions last minute before an exam.

"Did you have to remind us that exams start tomorrow?" James groaned, dropping his head to the table with a thud. "Way to kill the mood, Moony."

"Yeah, why'd you have to remind us?" Peter muttered.

"Well, I'd assumed the day would be spent studying," was Remus's reply.

He was met with three snorts of amusement.

"Maybe tonight," Sirius said. "But you didn't have to bring it up so early in the morning."

Remus shook his head as he set the Prophet aside so that he could finish his breakfast. James reached across the table to grab the newspaper so that he could flip through to see if there was any news on the efforts against Voldemort.

He did not have to look far. On the second page was a story headlined 'Death Eater Killed in Raid'. The article started by saying that the Aurors had gotten a tip on a meeting of a group of Death Eaters and they had gone to raid the meeting. A duel had broken out between both sides, and though there were some injuries, there was only one casualty. Brennan Dawson had managed to bring down a Death Eater, something that had not been done in months. The Death Eater's name had been Rosier.

"Sam's dad's mentioned in here," James said. "Says he managed to kill a Death Eater the other night."

"Really?" Remus asked. "No one's managed to do that in a while."

"Who was it?" Peter wanted to know. "Any name we know?"

"Oh, yeah," James replied with a nod. "It was Evan Rosier's father."

Sirius had not spoken, but he had been listening, and at that, he glanced up sharply. He glanced over at the Slytherin table, and it did not take him long to pick out Rosier's dark hair. The sixth year Slytherin was not focused on his meal. His gaze was hard and set across the hall. Sirius followed his narrowed eyes to where Samantha was sitting further down the Gryffindor table, her back to Rosier. Sirius clenched his jaw tightly, and decided that he needed to keep a close eye on him for the rest of term.

"Do you reckon Sam knows about it yet?" James asked, drawing Sirius's attention back to their discussion.

"I imagine she would," Remus replied. "She checks the Prophet every day, doesn't she?"

James nodded, glancing down the table at her.

"I'm going to go talk to her for a bit," he said, handing the Prophet back to Remus before standing. "I'll meet you lot back in the common room."

As James moved further down the table, Sirius watched as Rosier stood along with Avery and Wilkes and made his way from the Great Hall. He briefly wondered if he should share his concern with James, but decided against it. James would worry about it too much. He could deal with Rosier himself if the need arose.

* * *

Exam week seemed to fly past for the sixth years. Since they had already taken their O.W.L.s and did not need to worry about their N.E.W.T.s until the coming year, their exams were straightforward and not as stressful as the year previous. When exams were finally over at the end of the week, all of the students breathed a sigh of relief, and were now able to look forward to their summer break.

Friday evening found Lily and Samantha slowly strolling through the corridors of the castle. The Marauders had been being extra rambunctious in the common room in the wake of exams ending, and Lily had asked Samantha to go on a walk with her so that she could escape instead of waiting around for it to be time to patrol the corridors. Samantha had readily agreed.

"I can't believe that this year is already over," Lily said. "This year has flown by so fast."

Samantha nodded and gave her a grin. "I can't wait to return home. Adrien's girlfriend, Nichole, is going to start teaching me simple healing spells. And I miss my family of course."

"Of course," Lily repeated with a grin of her own. "And you'll miss Amber and I while we are apart?"

"Of course I will," Samantha assured her. "The three of us will have to get together sometime. Perhaps we can go shopping in Diagon Alley one day."

"The two of you could come over to my house," Lily suggested, knowing what response she would get to that.

She was rewarded with Samantha wrinkling her nose in distaste. "With your awful sister?" she asked. "I think we should pass on your house. I love your parents but your sister breaks the deal."

"Tuney will be most disappointed," Lily giggled. "But the invitation stands. For you at least. Not for Amber. I'm afraid what she may do to my sister if she's forced to be around her again."

"Probably a wise decision," Samantha agreed with her.

It was only a few minutes later before Lily sighed. "I ought to start my rounds. With exams out of the way I'm sure there'll be plenty of students to call down. I'll see you back in the common room?"

At Samantha's nod, Lily turned and began to make her way back down the corridor. Samantha watched her go for a moment before she continued on her way, slowly heading back to the common room. She didn't particularly care to return there, and avoided it when she could. If Amber was not around she would probably just go up to lay on her bed and read.

Not many students were about this close to curfew, and as Samantha made her way back to Gryffindor Tower, she only passed the occasional student hurrying to make it back to their respected common room before curfew set in. When she reached the fourth floor, she was unsurprised to find it deserted. The library was located just down the corridor, and she doubted any students would be found there on the evening after exams had ended.

"Dawson."

A low voice interrupted her thoughts and she turned to find herself staring down Evan Rosier's wand. His dark eyes were wide and angry, and his pale face was twisted into a look of loathing. Samantha's heart began to pound in her chest as she clenched her jaw, her hand automatically inching towards her wand, but Rosier's wand moved closer, bringing her hand to a stop.

"What do you want?" she asked him, fighting to keep her voice steady, to hide how nervous it made her to be caught alone with this boy.

Rosier's dark hair fell into his wild eyes as he took a step closer to her. Instinct told Samantha to take a step back in return, but his wand kept her still.

"I've been trying to find you alone so we could have a little chat, but between your mudblood friend and Potter, it's been damn near impossible. But now," his eyes flickered around the corridor, "No one's around."

Samantha did not dare glance behind her, but she did glance down the corridor to her right and the one behind Rosier from which she had come, and sure enough, there were no students, or teachers, in sight.

"I'm sure you've heard the news," he snarled. "Your father killed my father. And I feel as if a bit of payback is in order."

"Your father got everything that he deserved," she snapped, her blue eyes narrowed despite the fact that she knew he had the upper hand on her.

"Shut your mouth, blood traitor!" Rosier hissed, jabbing the tip of his wand against her neck. Her heart jumped to her throat, and she exhaled sharply. He moved closer to her still, until he was looking down his nose at her. She did not dare to even lift a finger with his wand against her neck.

"Lestrange gave you a good taste of the Cruciatus Curse last summer," he murmured, a crude grin twisting his lips. He tailed the tip of his wand across her neck. "How about another? _Cru_-"

There was a blur of black, and then Rosier was being pulled backwards away from her. Startled, Samantha stumbled back a couple of steps and watched as Sirius slammed Rosier against the stone wall of the corridor, gripping the wrist of Rosier's wand hand tightly, twisting it's painfully until the wand slipped from his grip. With an angry snarl, Sirius slammed Rosier into the wall a second time.

"You'll not touch her ever again or I swear to God I will kill you," he growled dangerously.

Pulling Rosier away from the wall, Sirius brought his fist to his face with a loud crack that filled the corridor. Sirius smirked in satisfaction when he realized he had broken Rosier's nose. Sirius released him, and Rosier bent down and snatched his wand from the floor before scrambling back several steps, holding his sleeve up to his nose, which was now bleeding freely. Sirius backed up, and stepped in front of Samantha, his eyes narrowed threateningly, while Rosier trained his wand on the both of them.

"You two just wait," Rosier snarled, his voice sounding thick from his broken nose. "You'll get what's coming to you. I'll see to that."

He whirled around and stormed away from them. Sirius glared after him until he was out of sight before turning back to Samantha, his furious demeanor disappearing. She shifted uncomfortably when she suddenly found his attention on her.

"Are you alright?" he asked her softly, reaching to rest his hand on her arm.

She shied away, unable to meet his gaze.

"Yeah," she replied shakily. "I'm fine."

Sirius frowned, his eyes carefully searching her over. "Are you sure? You're trembling."

She shook her head. "I'm fine." She forced herself to meet his concerned gaze. "I'm just a bit surprised. I didn't expect…"

She trailed off, her gaze dropping once more. Sirius wondered if she meant she did not expect Rosier to try something like that or if she did not expect Sirius to come to her aid. He watched her fidget under his gaze for a moment, wondering why they had come to be like this, before he spoke.

"He shouldn't be bothering you again."

She nodded, and her blue eyes glanced hesitantly up at him from beneath her long lashes.

"Thank you," she said softly before she turned to continue on her way to Gryffindor Tower. She had only made it a couple of steps before his voice stopped her.

"I could walk you back," he said to her when she began to walk away from him. "Just in case."

She looked over her shoulder at him. He thought she might have had the smallest of smiles tugging at the corner of her lips, but it was gone too quickly for him to be certain.

"That's quite alright," she told him. "Like you said, he shouldn't be bothering me again."

It was the most words she had spoken to him since they had broken up, and despite how much he had missed any conversation with her over the past two months, her words felt like a punch in his stomach; a blatant refusal of his company.

He stood and watched as she walked away from her, and he wondered if things would ever change between them or if they would never crawl out of this hole that they had dug around themselves.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	20. Chapter Twenty

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter. **

**So sorry about the wait! I've only been moved back to school for a week, and already I'm super busy. I feel like it will only increase from here, but I'll keep doing my best to update this as soon as possible. I don't see many updates being any faster than this one, unfortunately, though I'll try to make the wait a little longer. No promises; school has to come first.**

**A huge thanks to those that reviewed! I love hearing what you guys have to say, and your reviews make me determined to get a new chapter out as soon as possible!**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Twenty

Neither Sirius nor Samantha made any mention to anyone that they had spoken to one another, albeit briefly. Nothing changed between them to even point towards them having spoken to one another. They did not speak again for their remaining time at Hogwarts, and before the students knew it, they were on the train, speeding through the countryside towards London and their waiting families.

The train ride seemed to take no time at all. Samantha and Amber spent most of their time talking about what they planned to do over their summer, and when Lily was not patrolling the corridors of the train, she joined them. Amber was leaving in a few days to visit her family in Germany, and Lily was going on holiday in France with her family towards the end of the summer.

When the train came to a stop at the station, the three girls unloaded their trunks. When they were standing on the crowded platform, they gave each other hugs before they went their separate ways to find their families.

It did not take Samantha very long to find her father in the crowd. All she had to do was locate the Potters, who made a habit of waiting for James and Sirius in close to the same spot so that they could find them easier. Her father was standing with them, deep in a conversation with Joseph Potter. She did not realize that her brother was with him until he stepped forward to help her with her trunk as she approached.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him as he gave her a tight hug. "I thought your training went over most nights these days."

"Moody let us off a bit early," Adrien replied as he pulled away, running a hand through his chestnut hair. "Said even the best Aurors need a break every now and then."

"Really? Did you tell him that he ought to tell dad that?" she asked with a glance at her father, who, even as he laughed with Joseph about something the older man had said, still had lines of stress across his face.

Adrien snorted, glancing at Brennan as well. "I should have. He's been running himself down lately."

"That's what mum tells me."

He shook his head, and the lines that appeared on his face made him look just like their father. "She's been worried about him lately. Between work and the Order, he doesn't ever take a break, save a few hours' sleep every night. Mum showed up at headquarters a few days ago, about two hours before dad would normally go home. She made him come home to rest, wouldn't take no for an answer. She can't do that all the time, though."

"She probably could get away from it," Samantha said with a small smile. "He always does what she asks of him."

"She wouldn't make him leave work early all the time."

"I know. But she could if she wanted to."

Adrien agreed with a soft laugh. "Boy, am I glad you're home."

"Well, one more year and then I'll be home for good. Then you won't have to miss me."

"No offence," Adrien responded with a wrinkle of his nose. "But I hope to be moved out by then."  
Samantha's eyebrows rose. "With Nichole?"

Looking startled, Adrien attempted to stutter out a response, causing a grin to slowly spread across her lips. Adrien's surprise was short lived. His eyes suddenly hardened as his gaze focused on something behind her. Frowning at the sudden change, Samantha glanced over her shoulder to see James and Sirius passing by on their way to greet James's parents. She could tell that by the way Sirius's eyes briefly flickered their way that he was only pretending to not notice the glare Adrien was giving him.

"Leave him alone," she muttered as she turned back to Adrien.

"Leave him alone?" he repeated incredulously. "Not bloody likely. And he brought it upon himself."

"It's been three months," she snapped, grabbing hold of the end of her trunk. "It's in the past. Just forget about it."

"Fine," Adrien replied with a sigh, glaring after Sirius a moment longer before turning his attention back to his sister, who was watching him with a stern look. "Fine," he repeated more firmly. He moved to take her trunk from her. "Here, let me get that."

She allowed Adrien to lead the way to their father and the Potters. Grace was busy fussing over James and Sirius, and Brennan and Joseph were still busy talking with each other, but when Brennan caught sight of his daughter, he broke off the conversation to step forward and embrace her.

"How did your exams go, Sweetheart?" he asked when he stepped back.

"I'll bet you failed Transfiguration," Adrien teased, earning himself a dirty look.

"I did not," Samantha replied. "I passed everything."

Brennan grinned and clapped her on the shoulder, glancing over at Adrien.

"I seem to recall that for your sixth year exams, you barely passed Charms."

"Charms?" Samantha repeated with a glance at Adrien, her eyebrows raised. "How do you nearly fail Charms?"

"Stuff it," Adrien muttered. "It wasn't my strongest subject."

Samantha shook her head as Brennan turned back to Joseph. James, having escaped the clutches of his mother, moved to speak to Samantha and Adrien. Sirius, Samantha noticed, hung back. She wondered if it was just to avoid her or if he did not dare come near Adrien.

Soon after, Brennan announced that it was time to go, and after Samantha and James gave each other a quick hug, promising to write each other frequently, the Dawsons and Potters went their separate ways. As they walked towards a place where it would be safe for them to disapperate unnoticed- Samantha would be side-along disapperating with her father as she had not yet taken her test- Samantha glanced over her shoulder to watch, just for a moment, Sirius's retreating back as he walked with the Potters through the station toward the Ministry car they had waiting to take them home.

She quickly turned her gaze forward before Adrien noticed, and she wondered if she would see Sirius at all before they returned to Hogwarts in September. She was not entirely sure if she cared.

* * *

Summer passed slowly for Samantha. She rarely saw her father or her uncle with how busy the Death Eaters were keeping the Aurors. Her brother came home late most nights. With the war growing worse and worse, Moody was pushing his trainees harder than ever to get them ready for what they would face. When he returned home, Adrien was too exhausted to do much more than collapse on his bed. She would join him with either a book or her summer homework, or they would just lay in the dark and talk about anything but the war.

She particularly savored the latter moments. Back before Adrien had left Hogwarts, whenever their family was gone to an Order meeting, they would turn all the lights off and lay on Adrien's bed together and distract each other from worrying. They had no such moments now that Adrien was also a part of the Order. Now all she could do was countdown to when she would be able to become a part of the Order as well.

The first weeks of summer seemed to blur together for Sirius. He missed Hogwarts when he was away, but he enjoyed the freedoms that came with being back at the Potters' for the summer. Despite having to hear James complain frequently about missing Lily, Sirius was enjoying the break from schoolwork and being around all of the students. The quiet of the Potter home was a nice change.

He got up early one morning to go flying in the field behind the Potter home. James had been insistent that they spend the summer coming up with new strategies so that they would not again forfeit the cup to Slytherin. Sirius wanted one morning to fly his broom without having to worry about whether or not it would help to pound Slytherin into the ground, so he snuck out while James was still sleeping for some time alone.

By the time he returned, James was awake and digging through his trunk. Furrowing his brow, Sirius crossed his arms over his chest.

"You are aware that that's my trunk you're digging through, aren't you?"

James glanced up at him before turning his attention back to the trunk.

"Yep," he grunted.

Sirius raised his eyebrows at him. "And just what are you looking for in _my_ trunk?"

"I've eaten all my sweets," James answered, his voice muffled as he had now stuck his head into the trunk. "And I thought perhaps you still had some."

Sirius stared blankly at him for a moment before he responded. "But it's not even noon yet."

Sirius saw James's shoulders lift in what he supposed was a shrug. "I can't help it when my stomach demands that I eat something sweet."

"You're beginning to sound like a girl, mate," Sirius told him as he moved across the room to store his broom in the closet. "It's not becoming."

James shot him a glare of his shoulder. "Stuff it. At least I'm not as bad as Moony."

"Says the one currently burying his head in my trunk looking for sweets before lunch time."

Pulling off his shirt, which had become a bit wet with sweat from his morning out in the sun, Sirius deposited himself onto his bed, kicking off his shoes before reclining back against his pillow

"I can't find any," James complained over his shoulder. "Are you sure there's any in here?"

Sirius waiting until he had once again buried his head in the trunk before replying. "No," he said in a smug voice. "I ate them all ages ago. I just wanted to see how long it took you to figure it out."

He expected for James to round on him, to exclaim angrily at him. Instead he watched as James slowly pulled out of the trunk with a curious expression on his face, something clutched in his hands. And he realized that his joke was going to backfire on him in a way that he had failed to consider.

"What's this, Padfoot?" James asked him, glancing up at Sirius, who had pushed himself into a sitting position on his bed when he saw what James held in his hands.

Sirius stared at the long, slender package James held in his hands and shrugged. "Dunno. It must have been placed in my trunk by mistake."

James did not buy that for a second, and behind his glasses, his hazel eyes narrowed. "You're lying to me. What is i-" He broke off, and his mouth formed an 'O' as something clicked into place. "This was for Sam," he said, his voice suddenly knowing. "Before…you know."

"No, I don't know," Sirius snapped. "I still don't know what bloody happened. I don't know what I did to make my word suddenly mean nothing, why I wasn't allowed to even try and tell my side of the story."

James gave him a surprised look at the outburst, and for the first time, he clearly saw just how bitter Sirius was over how things had ended. Not that he blamed him. Sirius was just well-practiced in hiding what was going on in his head.

James decided, wisely he was sure, to not comment on the outburst, and instead turned the conversation back to the package in his hand.

"Why do you still have this?" he questioned.

"I was going to throw it out," Sirius admitted, the anger that had been in his eyes just a moment ago suddenly gone. "But I couldn't bring myself too. There's nothing wrong with it; it felt like it would be a waste."

James nodded in understanding. "What are you going to do with it then?"

Sirius shrugged, his gaze glued to the package. " I don't know. Nothing, I suppose. You could have it if you wanted it. You could give it to Evans or something."

James brightened at this offering. "I just might do that," he said with a grin, tossing the package up onto his bed. "If the chance comes up, of course. I wouldn't want to give it to her out of the blue."

Sirius's eyebrows rose, and he gave James a quizzical, teasing look. "Because the ways you usually choose to show her how you feel aren't completely mental?"

James shot him an offended glare, and turned his nose up at him. "My methods work. Just you wait. One day, _I'll_ be the one laughing, and you lot will see."

"Whatever you say, Prongs," Sirius said with a chuckle, leaning back to stretch across his bed once again, folding his arms behind his head.

James stood, closing Sirius's trunk before snatching the package off of his bed, moving to his dresser to store it somewhere where he would not lose it.

"I got a letter from Sam last night," he said casually enough as he tucked the wrapped bracelet beneath some of his clothes.

"Hm." Sirius's eyes briefly flickered to him, pretending to not be interested, but he was listening to whatever James was going to say closely.

"She said her dad took her to the Ministry for her apperation test last week. He wanted her to be able to do it as soon as she could just in case."

"I'm assuming she passed," Sirius drawled lazily, "If your disappointed tone is any indication."

"She did," James replied. "I just thought it would have been fun to tease her if she hadn't."

"It's not that difficult to pass," Sirius pointed out. "If you recall, we both passed our tests just yesterday."

"Yeah, but," James glanced over at him, "We're brilliant."

"I'm certain Sam would be offended if she heard you say that."

"Not that you care what Sam thinks."

Sirius glared at the look that James was giving him. Sometimes he hated that James knew him too well for him to hide things from him.

"If you don't care then I don't suppose you'd care that she's been pretty miserable so far this summer."

Sirius did not allow himself to react to that, but a questioning look must have crossed through his eyes because a knowing smile tugged at James's lips and he explained.

"Her dad won't let her leave the house. At all. She had plans to go visit Lily but Brennan forbad her from leaving the house. He won't even let her come over here."

Sirius turned his head so that he was staring at the ceiling. "That's a bit excessive, isn't it?"

He heard the fabric of James's shirt rustle as he shrugged. "He's got the best intentions in mind. She knows that. But she says she feels like a prisoner and that she doesn't know how she's going to stand it for the rest of the summer."

"Better a prisoner than dead," Sirius muttered, more to himself, but James heard. He did not reply. There was nothing to say to that, because they both knew how possible it was for that to become true.

* * *

"Could you pass me the flour, dear? I think a quick loaf of bread would be perfect with this stew."

Samantha, standing at the counter chopping vegetables, reached into the cabinet above her head to pull out the flour and hand it over to her mother. The two of them were cooking dinner, planning on having it ready when Brennan, Christopher, and Adrien returned home. If they returned home. It was becoming harder to tell if they would be home on time, or if they would be stuck at work all night. Adrien would return eventually, at least.

"Do you think they'll be home on time tonight?" Elizabeth asked as she measured out the flour.

Samantha shrugged and gave her mother a smile. "There's not telling. They were a bit late last night, so perhaps tonight they'll be on time."

"We'll just have to wait and see," Elizabeth said with a smile. "We'll have enough leftovers with your Aunt Tabitha being out of town."

Tabitha was on the south coast, visiting her parents for the week.

"I should have gone with her," Samantha said with a sigh as she continued chopping.

Elizabeth glanced her way. "Your father wouldn't have allowed it. You know that."

"It would just be nice to be able to leave the house every now and then," Samantha replied, moving to dump the vegetables she had chopped into the broth.

"I know, darling. But your father is only doing it because he loves you. He doesn't want anything to happen to you."

Samantha nodded as she moved to slice a tomato to go with the homemade bread, but she did not speak. Her mother sighed softly.

"I know it's hard, love. But he's got your safety in mind. At least here, we know you're safe."

Samantha's lips twitched in what could have been a smile. Silence fell between them, and only the sounds of them preparing dinner filled the kitchen. Samantha was stirring the stew when it happened. A silvery light suddenly filled the kitchen, and right after, her mother dropped a plate, which shattered on the floor. Samantha whirled around to find her uncle's horse Patronus standing in the kitchen.

"There's been an accident." Her uncle's voice came from the Patronus, the silvery light pulsing along with his voice. "Brennan is in the hospital. Adrien and I are tied up at headquarters. You need to get over there, Lizzie."

The Patronus faded away when the message ended. Samantha glanced over at her mother, who was standing with her hands covering her mouth. It took her a moment to recover, and she looked at her daughter, and Samantha could see the fear glistening in her blue eyes.

"Let's go," she murmured, holding her arm out towards Samantha, who immediately moved forward as she tried to ignore the way her heart threatened to beat right out of her chest. If he was in the hospital, he was still alive. As she hurried out of the house with her mother, she repeated it over and over in her head as if saying it enough times would make it stay true.

* * *

Samantha was seated in the hallway of St. Mungo's, her gaze firmly on the door to her father's room, where her mother currently was along with a healer and several nurses. Several times, a nurse with a kind face had tried to get her to move downstairs to the waiting area, but Samantha refused. They would not yet allow her into the room, but she would stay as close as she could until they did.

She had long ago lost track of time, but she could tell that by the way the lights in the hall seemed slightly dimmer, how quiet the hospital seemed, that it was late into the night. She bent over to rest her forehead upon her knees as she fought to keep her eyes opened. Adrien and her uncle had yet to show up. She hoped that they were still held up at headquarters, that they were still safe.

"Sam?"

Her head jerked up in surprise at the voice, and she looked up to find Sirius standing over her. His hands were shoved in his pockets, and he fidgeted as he looked down at her, a tentative worry in his eyes.

"Sirius?" She furrowed her brow as she stared up at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh," he shifted his foot, "I heard Moody talking to Joseph through the floo. I was downstairs getting a quick snack. He told Moody to keep him updated, that he'd wait to come to St. Mungo's until the morning to give your family space. James was upstairs and I got worried, so I just left and came over. I thought you might need the company."

She gave him a small smile that was surprisingly not forced. "James will be mad when he finds out you came without him."

Sirius shrugged. "He'll understand. It wasn't until I got here that I realized I probably should have told someone where I was going. But I think that they'll figure it out." He glanced around, seeming to just now notice that she was alone. "Where's your brother?"

"Held up at headquarters with my uncle," she explained. "They let my mum into the room but they told me I'd have to wait."

"So you _could_ use some company."

She stared up at him for a long moment through tired blue eyes, and he had begun to wonder if coming here had been too impulsive, but then her hand patted the floor beside her, a clear invitation that he did not hesitate to accept. He seated himself beside her, his knee briefly brushing against her leg. Her gaze was once again turned to the door, as if she hoped that if she stared at it long enough, it would open.

"How long have you been here?" he asked her, taking in the way she fought to keep her eyes opened, how she leaned her back heavily against the wall.

She shrugged. "I dunno. What time is it?"

"Nearly eleven."

Her lips tightened into a smile. "Several hours then, I suppose."

He would have tried to convince her to perhaps go home and get some sleep if he thought she would at least consider his words. But he knew she would not leave, at least not until she heard any news about her father's condition.

Instead, he decided to distract her as best he could, asking her how her summer was going. She answered, telling him things James had already shared with him, though her eyes remained focused on the doorway to her father's room.

A couple of hours passed. He continued to distract her with conversation, bringing up things such as how Adrien's training was going and how much of her summer assignments she had gotten through. She told him how her aunt was out of town, and how just earlier that night, she had been wishing that she was with her. He told her how James was pushing even harder than last summer to come up with new plays for his quidditch team so that they would not lose the cup to Slytherin two years in a row.

Around one in the morning, her eyes began to drift shut, despite her efforts to keep them opened. It did not take her long to lose the battle. At first her head leaned back against the wall, but slowly she slid towards him. When her head came to rest on his shoulder, he stiffened for only a moment before he smiled, shifting a bit so that she would be more comfortable. He fought the urge to press his face into her hair and breathe her in. He had not realized just how much he had missed her until he was once again this close to her.

His enjoyment of being so close to her again was short lived. Only a few minutes after she slid against him, the door to Brennan's room finally opened. She jerked awake immediately, lifting her head as the healer and nurses slipped from the room. The nurses made their way down the corridor, but the healer lingered.

Sirius pushed himself to his feet, offering Samantha his hands, pulling her up when her hands slipped into his. She turned to the healer, worrying her bottom lip.

"Well?" she asked when the older man made no move to say anything. "How is he?"

He gave the two of them a weary smile. "It was touch and go for a while, but we've managed to stabilize his condition. He should be just fine."

The tension left Samantha's shoulders immediately, and Sirius reached out to give her hand a quick squeeze.

"He was hit by several curses," the healer explained, running a hand through his salt and pepper hair. "But I think we've managed to counter them all. There's a slight chance we missed something, but chances are that he'll be fine when he wakes up."

"When will that be?" Sirius asked.

"There's no way to know for sure," the healer replied, his gaze turning to Sirius. "It could be a matter of hours or it could be a matter of days. We just have to wait for him to wake up when his body is ready, so it's a waiting game. But that's good news. While he's sleeping, his body will be healing." He nodded his head towards the door. "You can go in and see him now if you'd like."

As he headed down the hallway, Samantha stared at the closed door for a long moment before taking a step forward. She paused, wringing her hands, before turning back to Sirius.

"Thank you," she said to him, giving him a small smile. "I probably would have gone crazy while waiting if it hadn't been for you. You didn't have to come."

"I wanted to," he replied, returning her smile. "Do you want me to wait out here for you?"

Her smile grew at that. "That won't be necessary. I don't know how long I'll be. There's no need for you have to wait around anymore. Go home and get some sleep."

"Are you sure?"

His grey eyes were concerned as he gazed at her, and she nodded.

"I'll be fine, Sirius. Go on home. I'm sure James is wondering where you are."

He let out a soft laugh at that. "He'll probably have himself all worked up by now, won't he? Alright, you win. But I'll be back in the morning, no arguments."

"You don't have to," she replied. "But I won't try to stop you."

"Good." He gave her a lopsided grin, and despite the situation, she couldn't help but think how much she had missed him smiling at her that way. "I wouldn't have listened anyway." He reached for her hand, once again squeezing it briefly. "Goodnight, Sam."

"Goodnight," she said softly, watching him make his way towards the lifts for a moment before turning back to the door of her father's room, finally turning the knob and entering the room after such a long wait.

She had to stop when she caught sight of her father, lying pale and still on the bed. She had never seen him that way before. Brennan was a powerful man. It felt wrong to seem him looking so vulnerable and weak.

She forced herself to look away from her father, turning her gaze to her mother, who was sitting at Brennan's side, both of her hands tightly clasped around one of his hands. Elizabeth turned her head when Samantha took a few more steps closer.

"Samantha," Elizabeth breathed, releasing Brennan's hand, standing and moving towards her daughter, pulling her against her in a tight hug. "They said that he was going to be alright," she whispered, pressing her face into her daughter's hair.

"I know," Samantha replied with a small smile.

Elizabeth pulled away, and brought a hand up to cup Samantha's cheek. "You sat out there all that time by yourself. I'm sorry, darling."

Samantha shook her head, her smile growing slightly. "I wasn't alone. Sirius came to sit with me."

"Sirius Black?"

The way Elizabeth's voice was much more surprised than her face told Samantha that she was trying to hid just how surprised she was.

"As in the boy you were dating for several months?"

"Yes, mum," she replied, grinning despite the reason why they were having this conversation. "How many Sirius's do you know of?"

"He still cares about you," her mother informed her as she ran her hand through her hair. "For him to come all the way here and sit with you for so long. Is he still here?"

Samantha did not acknowledge her mother's observation, but replied, "No, I sent him home. He says he'll be back in the morning, though."

Elizabeth gave her a knowing smile, but did not respond, turning back to look at her husband.

"He looks so vulnerable," she whispered, twisting her wedding ring around her finger. "I hate to see him like this."

"I know."

The door to Brennan's room burst opened then, and Adrien strode into the room, looking exhausted and worried.

"How is he?" he asked, moving straight for his mother, pulling her against him, looking at his father over her head.

"They said he should be just fine," Elizabeth replied as Adrien reached out and pulled his sister into his side. "That he just needs to rest but that he will wake up."

"How long until he wakes up?"

"They can't say. It could be hours, it could be days. I'm going to stay with him tonight just in case. I want to be there when he wakes up."

"We're staying, too," Adrien informed her, glancing down at Samantha, squeezing her shoulder when she nodded in agreement.

"No." Elizabeth shook her head, giving both her children a slightly stern look. "I want the two of you to go home and get some sleep."

They both opened their mouths to argue, but Elizabeth cut them off with a sharp shake of her head. "No arguments. Adrien, take your sister home. The both of you are exhausted. Go home and sleep, and you can come back in the morning."

"You're exhausted, too," Adrien argued.

"I can't leave him alone," she said softly.

Adrien did not miss the way her eyes flickered to her husband, how her eyes seemed to suddenly glisten from unshed tears, and he nodded.

"Alright," he relented quietly. Samantha glanced up at him sharply, but a small nod from her brother kept her mouth shut. "We'll go home. But only if you promise to go home in the morning to get some sleep yourself."

She looked as if she wanted to disagree, but realizing that this would be the only way her children would go home, she nodded, brushing her blonde hair out of her face. "Alright," she agreed with a sigh. "But only because it seems this is the only way the two of you will go home."

After giving their mother a last hug and promising that they would not return until they got some sleep, Adrien led Samantha from the room, leaving Elizabeth to sink into the chair beside her husband's bed, taking his hand in hers. All night, neither moved.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter. **

**Finally, here's the next chapter! Thanks for your patience; school's got to come first. As always, a big thanks to those that reviewed! I love to hear your feedback!**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Twenty-One

When Samantha had gotten into bed to try and get some sleep, Adrien had slipped into her room and crawled into her bed, and had told her what had happened earlier that night. He hadn't been there, but he heard the Aurors had had no trouble sneaking into the old, abandoned house that they had been told Death Eaters would be meeting that night, how they thought they had managed to do so undetected. They had suddenly been ambushed by twice as many Death Eaters than they thought would be there. They were unprepared. Brennan had been hit by multiple curses. One Auror had died. Moody had called a retreat, and Christopher had managed to grab hold of Brennan before disapperating. If he hadn't, their father would have been lost as well.

After his story, they had lay in the dark in silence, both trying not to think what could have happened that night. They ended up falling asleep that way, their exhaustion winning over the worry. At some point, Samantha was woken up by her door creaking open slightly before closing again, and she rolled over to go back to sleep, knowing it was her uncle having just returned home and checking on them before he went to bed.

When she woke up the next morning, Adrien was still sound asleep, and she hated to wake him, so she quietly got out of bed and took a quick shower before going to St. Mungo's by herself. Adrien probably wouldn't like it when he woke up and realized she was already gone. But she did not care. She wanted to see how her father was. She wanted to know if he had woken up.

When she opened the door to her father's room, she was surprised to see her mother was still awake. She had been so tired that Samantha had expected her to have fallen asleep in her chair. She also noticed that her father looked as if he had not moved at all.

Elizabeth jumped when Samantha quietly called out to her, and when her mother turned to look at her, she saw the dark circles under her blue eyes.

"Has he woken up?" Samantha asked, stepping closer.

Elizabeth shook her head, because she did not trust herself to be able to say that no, he hadn't even moved.

"Did you get some sleep?" she asked after clearing her throat. Her voice still came out slightly hoarse.

"I did," Samantha replied quietly. "And now you need to go and do the same."

Her mother shook her head immediately. "No," she responded quickly. "No. I can't leave him."

"Mum," she sighed. "You're not doing him any good running yourself down like this. He doesn't look like he's going to wake up anytime soon. Go get some sleep so you'll be more awake when he wakes up. You promised you would."

Despite herself, her mother gave her a small smile. "I did, didn't I? Did your uncle ever make it home?"

She nodded. "I heard him come in. He and Adrien are probably still in bed. Go home for a bit; Adrien will bring you back later."

"Alright."

Before she stood, Elizabeth brushed her lips over Brennan's cheek. Samantha waited until she had made her way out of the room before sinking down into the chair, taking her mother's place at her father's bedside. She wondered if he would wake up before the end of the day.

She did not know how long she sat there; she did not keep track of the time. But she had to have been there for at least an hour, perhaps longer, before the door opened. She looked up, expecting her brother, uncle, or perhaps even her mother unable to stay away, but she was surprised to find Sirius standing in the doorway with a hesitant smile. She knew he had told her he would be back, but she hadn't thought that he would actually do it.

"How is he?" Sirius asked, stepping into the room, closing the door behind him.

Samantha shrugged, glancing at her father. "No change," she replied. Sirius did not miss the worry in her voice.

"But that's a good thing," Sirius told her. "The healer said that as long as he was sleeping, he was healing."

At that, she managed to give him a small smile. "I suppose you're right."

With his hands stuffed in his pockets, Sirius stepped closer to her.

"Do you mind if I kept you company for a bit?" he asked her, not wanting to stay without her expressed permission in case she had been hoping for some time alone.

"Not at all," she said with a shake of her head. "No one will be around for a while. It'll be nice to have someone to talk to."

With a grin, Sirius headed toward the couch that was placed along the wall behind where Samantha sat at her father's bedside. She turned the chair slightly so that she could better talk to him, propping her right foot on the edge of the chair, resting her chin upon her knee.

"Does James know you're here this time?" she asked him as he seated himself on the sofa.

He leaned towards her, propping his elbows up on his knees. "He does," Sirius replied. "Said he'd come by later, actually. I thought he might insist on coming with me, but I think he was too excited that the two of us are speaking to want to tag along."

Samantha let out a soft laugh, crossing her legs, smoothing out the bottom of her shirt. "He can be a bit enthusiastic, can't he? Lily told me just the other day how nice it is to have a break from his harassment."

"_She_ may get a break. I still have to hear him whine about missing her every day."

"I think she may be softening up to him a bit," she told him, leaning forward slightly and lowering her voice as if she were sharing a secret with him.

"Really?" His voice was skeptical, an eyebrow raised.

"She doesn't get as offended when he talks to her. And, that lily he gave her for her birthday? It's pressed between two pages of her Charms textbook."

She hadn't thought it possible, but his eyebrows rose even higher at that. "Really now?" The corner of his lips tilted up, and he blinked his eyes several times. "Perhaps he's not as mental as we thought."

"Oh, no, he's definitely as mental as we thought," Samantha disagreed with a shake of her head. "It just seems that Lily is who we underestimated."

Sirius agreed with her with his barking laugh.

A comfortable silence fell between them not long after. She had slept well when she had finally fallen asleep, but she hadn't slept for very long, and sitting here not doing much of anything was causing her eyes to grow heavy and begin to burn from exhaustion. She alternated between watching her father sleep and watching Sirius out of the corner of her eye.

He seemed lost in thought, his gaze alternating between being glued to the far wall or to the floor beneath his feet. Several times, she wondered what was on his mind. She didn't know what he was thinking, but she knew that even if she was thinking of something else, she was constantly aware of his presence in the room, aware of the fact that they had not been this close to each other in a long time.

Eventually she sighed heavily, pulling her feet into the chair, lying her cheek on her knees, her arms hugging her legs.

"Is it a terrible thing that I sometimes wonder what my life would be like if I had been born in a different family?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him jump in surprise at the sudden break in silence before turning his gaze to her.

"Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to belong to a family who's not involved in the war," she continued, her voice soft. "Perhaps one far from here, one who doesn't even know what's going on." She lifted her head, and her blue eyes latched on to his grey ones. "Does that make me a terrible person?"

"No." He shook his head immediately, his voice firm. "That makes you a normal person. You live your life in constant fear that something will go wrong because you know how easily it _can_ go wrong. It's understandable that you would wonder how your life could be different."

She gazed at him uncertainly, shifting in her chair slightly. "Do you ever wonder?"

"All the time," he replied. "I wonder what my childhood would have been like if I had been raised by loving parents. But at the same time," he paused, as if gathering his thoughts, "They showed me the type of person that I never want to become, and they made me all the more determined to not be like them."

Samantha gave him a small smile, and opened her mouth to respond, but she was interrupted by the sound of clapping, and their gazes jerked to the doorway in surprise, neither one of them having noticed the door opening.

"That was a touching speech, Sirius. Tell me, is that how you lure them all into your bed or is she special? Goodness knows it would work."

Sirius was immediately on his feet, his eyes flashing angrily at the man who stood in the doorway. He gazed around the room with cold grey eyes, and his pale blond hair was pulled back out of his face. His pale face was pointed, and when his gaze landed on her, Samantha shivered. Power radiated off of the man, but what struck her the most was the underlying evil she sensed. She had never met him in person, but she had heard her father speak of Lucius Malfoy enough to know that this man was a threat.

Slowly, she rose to her feet, and a smile that did not reach his eyes stretched across his lips. He stepped further into the room, and extended his hand towards her.

"Samantha Dawson, I presume? We've not met but I've heard plenty about you. Lucius Malfoy."

She stared at the hand, not sure whether or not to shake it. Sirius decided for her when he stepped between them, his arm brushing hers and his eyes narrowed at Lucius, and if looks could kill, Samantha knew he would be dead ten times over.

Malfoy did not seem fazed by Sirius and retracted his hand, shifting his attention to the boy who was glaring hatefully at him.

"You're looking well, Sirius," Malfoy observed. "It seems as if those blood traitors you abandoned your family for are treating you well."

"They are better people than my so called family will ever be," Sirius ground out between clenched teeth.

Malfoy made some sort of noise in the back of his throat that could have been amusement. His grey eyes flickered to Samantha briefly, and a smirk tilted the corners of his lips.

"Narcissa tells me that you had your mother fretting over the fact that her disgraceful son was dating a blood traitor for a short amount of time. In my opinion, it's a shame that it did not work out. Her family's views may be twisted and obscured, but she is of pure blood, and from one of the old families. You could have done much worse."

Samantha's lips parted slightly in surprise. She knew of certain family's views on blood status, but never had she heard something so personal to her as a past relationship spoken about as if it was her _blood_ that had been the important part of the relationship.

She could tell by the way Sirius stiffened that he did not approve of Lucius's comments.

"What are you doing here, Lucius?" he snarled.

Malfoy ignored Sirius's hostile tone, and for the first time since he stepped into the room, his eyes fell on Brennan, still asleep in his bed.

"I heard about what happened and wished to see if he would be alright."

Sirius snorted. "More like you wanted to see if you and your…._friends_ had managed to finally finish him off."

It was Samantha's turn to stiffen. The words had slipped from this tongue without a thought, and he did not think of how they would affect Samantha until he felt her stiffen beside him. Silently, he cursed himself, and slipped his hand back to gently grasp her hand, squeezing it in both comfort and apology. He knew she did not think terrible of him when she squeezed back. He did not let go of her hand as Lucius shook his head at him.

"Really now, Sirius. There's no need for such talk. I was merely concerned." There was a falseness to his voice that gave away to the both of them that he was not being truthful, but he really did not seem too concerned about hiding it.

Sirius scoffed. "And why should I believe that?"

"We're related somewhere down the line, though I cannot quite remember how," Lucius replied. "And family is family, no matter how distant."

"Don't you talk about family as if you give a damn that he's going to be alright," Sirius roared, finally losing his patience. He released Samantha's hand to step closer to Lucius, his eyes black with anger. "Don't talk about family as if you and your fellow Death Eaters aren't the ones behind the reason the rest of her family is dead or the reason why they have to live in constant alert in case there's an attack."

His voice got louder and louder as he went, and Samantha was surprised that healers had not yet shown up to tell them to keep it down. She wondered if they weren't because they knew who was currently in the room. She certainly wouldn't blame them.

Despite the discomfort she felt at moving so close to Lucius Malfoy, she stepped up to Sirius, and grasped his hand in both of hers, pulling his arm slightly to catch his attention.

"Sirius, please," she said softly. She appreciated what he was doing, she really did, but she did not want to hear anymore, nor did she want a fight to start.

Sirius took a small step backwards, but he did not lessen the glare on his face or the warning in his eyes.

"Yes, Sirius, please." Lucius's voice was steady, slightly condescending, and there was an underlying tone of amusement. "No need to become so angry. How can you lecture me on family when you've abandoned yours? A bit hypocritical if you ask me."

A growl sounded from deep in Sirius's throat, but before he could retort, the door opened behind Malfoy, and Samantha was glad when it was her brother and mother who stepped through the door, though they stopped short in surprise when they found what lie on the other side.

It was as if the past several minutes had not happened when Lucius plastered a smile upon his face, though it once again did not reach his eyes, and turned to greet them.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Elizabeth," he said as he grasped her hand.

"It's a pleasure to see you, too, Lucius," Elizabeth replied, though her smile was wary. "What brings you to St. Mungo's?"

"I heard what happened," Malfoy replied easily, casting a quick glance to Brennan in his bed. "I felt the need to come by myself to see if he was alright."

A brief anger flashed through Adrien's eyes at that statement, but he managed to keep his face neutral as he shook Malfoy's hand.

"I've had a pleasant chat with your daughter this morning," Lucius informed Elizabeth, turning and giving Samantha a small wink. Sirius bristled. "But I ought to be going. I don't want to intrude."

Elizabeth nodded, still wearing her cautious smile. "Of course. Thank you for stopping by."

Lucius nodded, and Adrien moved aside to allow him to pass. In the doorway, the blond man paused, and turned back to glance around the occupants of the room.

"I do hope you'll tell him to be more careful next time. I fear his luck may be running out." He smiled again, and nodded. "Have a wonderful afternoon."

For a long moment after the door closed behind him, a silence filled the room. It was broken when Adrien began to angrily rant about the nerve of Lucius Malfoy. With a small shake of her head, Elizabeth moved to sit at her husband's bedside, not missing that he had not moved at all since he had left. Sirius turned to Samantha, rubbing his hand down her arm comfortingly, asking her if she wanted to go on a short walk. She nodded and allowed him to lead her from the room, wondering if her family would continue to ignore the threat Lucius Malfoy had spoken, or if they were simply waiting for her to no longer be around to hear.

* * *

The afternoon passed slowly. While Samantha and Sirius strolled slowly through the halls of St. Mungo's, Sirius attempted to distract her from everything by telling her just how displeased James was when he found out Sirius had gone to the hospital the night before without him. He had managed to make her smile, and that was all that he had wanted.

James had found them when they had decided to return to the room, and he had hugged Samantha tightly to him and asked if her father was going to be alright. She told him yes and thanked him for coming before slipping back inside the room. Sirius and James hung back to allow her a few minutes with her family, and Sirius told James of the morning's events. James's eyes had darkened in anger, his jaw clenched tightly, but he had not said anything when they joined Samantha and her family. They hadn't stayed much longer, and before they left, they made Samantha promise to let them know when her father woke up.

Not many people came and went from the room that afternoon. A healer –a different one from the night before- would stop by occasionally to check on Brennan, who still had not moved. A nurse came in a couple of times to see if they wanted anything, but they never did. Lily came by briefly late in the afternoon. She insisted Samantha get out of the room for a few minutes, so she took another walk. Lily did most of the talking, telling her about her summer, telling her how Petunia had moved to London and gotten a job.

After Lily left, Samantha had returned to her spot on the sofa, where she had sat all day beside her brother. Elizabeth had not left her husband's side

It was nearing the early morning hours when Samantha began to realize how tired she was. As the minutes continued to drag on, she found herself beginning to lean against Adrien, who had brought reports Moody had wanted all of the trainees to study and had been reading them for the past few hours. She felt herself moving closer and closer to sleep, and Adrien shifted his shoulder slightly to make her more comfortable just as she drifted off.

When another had passed, Elizabeth was the only one still awake. Adrien's head had shifted to the side to rest against Samantha's, the reports he had been reading still resting in his loose grip. Elizabeth was watching her children sleep with a small smile on her face. That was when she heard the rustling, and her head instantly swung around.

Brennan was shifting on the bed. His arms moved slightly, as did his legs, and his head slowly turned from side to side. Elizabeth's breath hitched, and she moved her hand to brush against her husband's cheek. He moved into her touch, and she could see his eyes moving beneath his lids.

It took several minutes of struggling before he was able to slowly pry his eyes open. When his brown eyes finally met hers, she brought a hand up to cover a watery smile. She leaned down and gently wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to his cheek. With a bit of struggling, Brennan lifted his arms to rest his hands on her back. They stayed that way for a long moment before Elizabeth pulled back, still smiling in relief.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him softly, running a hand over his head.

His eyes closed briefly at her touch. "A little stiff," he replied hoarsely. "How long have I been here?"

"A little over twenty-four hours," she told him. "You've had your children very worried."

"Are they here?"

"Of course."

She turned to look at the sleeping form of Adrien and Samantha. Brennan stiffly turned his head to follow her gaze, and smiled when he caught sight of them.

"They'll be happy to know that you've woken up, but they will be disappointed they missed it."

He managed a soft chuckle. "I'm sure they'll survive. They'll see enough of me to make up for that."

His eyes grew heavy then, and Elizabeth could see the battle he was having to keep them open.

"Go back to sleep," she told him, running her hand over his head once again, giving him a small smile. "I'll be here when you wake up."

Brennan glanced over at his children one more time. "Make them go home," he told his wife softly. "So they can get proper sleep. I'm going to be fine. They're going to have to try harder if they want to get rid of me."

Despite herself, Elizabeth's smile grew a little, and she nodded. Brennan finally succumbed to sleep, allowing his eyes to slide closed. It did not take long before his breathing was deep with sleep. Elizabeth sighed and leaned back in her chair, unable to help the relief that flooded through her that her husband had finally woken up.

The door to the room opened then, and she glanced up to see who it was. When she saw it was her brother, she was on her feet immediately, and a few quick strides allowed her to be wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Thank Merlin you're alright," she breathed despite the fact that she had seen him early that morning when she had gone home to sleep. "I don't think I could have handled it something had happened to the both of you."

Christopher rubbed her back comfortingly as he looked over her head at Brennan.

"Sorry I couldn't make it over sooner," he murmured. "I had to go to headquarters, tie up some loose ends and do some paperwork. Has he woken up yet?"

She nodded as they pulled apart. "He's just gone back to sleep. But he's going to be alright."

He nodded with a smile. "I figured as much. He's tough; it's going to take more than a few spells to take him down." He paused to rub his hand down her arm. "Are you going to stay here tonight?"

Elizabeth nodded. "I don't think I can bear to leave him. I want to be here when he wakes up again. But," she glanced towards her children, "I promised him I'd make them go home and get some sleep. Do you think…"

"I'll take care of it," he assured her. "I'll take them home and make sure they go to bed. Moody'll probably want Adrien to come to headquarters tomorrow anyway, so he'll need the rest."

Elizabeth gave him a grateful smile, and watched as her brother moved across the room. He shook Adrien's shoulder, which in return roused Samantha. He whispered something to them, and she did not know if it was exhaustion or learning of their father waking up, but they made no arguments as they clambered to their feet, Christopher gently grasping Samantha's arms to support her as she seemed to be only be partially awake.

She watched the three of them slowly make their way out of the room before moving to sit back down, this time on the sofa so she would be more comfortable, not minding the small distance away from her husband since he had now woken up. As she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, she could not help thinking about when he would be back in their bed so that she could curl into this side and take comfort from being so close to him.

* * *

Brennan was kept in St. Mungo's for two more days before he was released with strict instructions to take it easy for the next week, which meant he was confined at home. He didn't particularly mind. He was able to spend more time with his family in that time than he had been able to all summer. He took some time to spend with only Samantha as she would be returning to school in another month, and then he would not see her again until Christmas.

The week he was home went by fast. Tabitha returned home halfway through. She had wanted to return right away when she had heard what had happened, but Christopher had assured her that Brennan was just fine and had told her to stay and enjoy the time she had.

Brennan returned to work as soon as his week was up, though he still took it easy and sat out of any combat that he could to keep his family, still tense after the close call, at ease. But it was not long before things were back to normal, and it felt as if the attack had not happened.

"Once you get the hang of it, it comes as second nature."

Samantha nodded with a determined expression, and attempted the complicated movement of her wand that went along with a just as complicated incantation. Adrien was reclining on the floor, watching with a bored expression as Nichole schooled his sister through several basic healing spells. Samantha had been curled up in her room with a book when Adrien and Nichole, who had come over for dinner, had come in, and now the three of them were seated in a circle on the floor.

"It'll also be easier once you have an actual injury to work with," Nichole continued.

At that Samantha shot a quick glance towards her brother. Adrien did not miss the glance and scowled deeply.

"Don't even think about it," he drawled at her lazily. "I'm not becoming some sort of experiment for you to learn spells with."

"I was thinking no such thing," Samantha retorted, her voice offended.

Adrien snorted. "Right. I saw that look you gave me. If you had your way, you'd slice me open so that you could practice healing."

"Actually," Nichole spoke up, "This spell is for healing severe burns."

"Well, you can't throw me into the fireplace either."

"I would do nothing of the sort," Samantha replied indignantly. "There wouldn't be any need for me to. You're so clumsy, I just need to wait until you hurt yourself."

"Clumsy? _Me_?" Adrien scoffed. "Not likely."

Nichole cleared her throat. "What about a few months ago when you visited me at work and knocked over an entire cart of potions?"

Adrien made some sort of choking sound and Samantha broke into a fit of giggles. At the dirty look Adrien gave her, Nichole covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh of her own.

"I went all those months without her finding out about that," Adrien grumbled. "And now I'll never hear the end of it."

"You most certainly will not," Samantha told him when she was able to quiet her giggles. "I can't believe you did that."

Nichole leaned towards her, a grin on her face. "They told me to keep him away from anything liquid if he ever came again. But he hasn't. He was too embarrassed."

Samantha began to laugh again, and as Adrien began to mumble under his breath, Nichole reached over and squeezed his leg, but she was trying to keep from laughing herself.

They continued to talk, not having much else to do. It was a Friday night, and neither Adrien or Nichole had to work the next day. Samantha, still stuck at home all of the time, needed the entertainment.

They fell silent as the night became late. Samantha eventually picked herself off of the floor and moved to her bed, lying on her back so that her head just barely hung over the foot of the bed, her gaze on the ceiling. Nichole stretched out beside Adrien, resting her head on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her.

"I got a letter from James earlier." Samantha was the one to break the silence, when she remembered something that had slipped her mind. "You won't believe what's happened."

"He finally got Lily Evans to say yes to him?" Adrien guessed passively, his attention mostly focused on the girl who was lying against him. Her eyes were closed, and he could not tell if she had fallen asleep or not.

A small smile tugged at Samantha's lips. "No, but now that this has happened, it wouldn't surprise me at all if he managed that, too."

Adrien frowned, and if Nichole had not been falling asleep on his shoulder, he would have pushed himself up to better look at his sister.

"What in Merlin's name happened?"

"Dumbledore made him Head Boy."

"_What_?"

His loud exclamation caused Nichole to jerk in surprise, and he squeezed her shoulder in apology.

"Is Dumbledore _mental_?" he continued in a softer voice. "James Potter Head Boy?"

"That was my reaction," Samantha replied dryly. "I'm not sure what Dumbledore was thinking. James isn't exactly the model student. I thought for sure Remus would get it."

"Well, Dumbledore's got his reasons. He knows what he's doing."

"I suppose," she mused with a shrug. "But you haven't heard the best part. Lily's Head Girl."

At that, Adrien chuckled.

"It sounds like Lily's going to have an interesting year," Nichole spoke up.

"Does James know?" Adrien questioned.

"No," was Samantha's reply. "I didn't mention it when I replied to him. And I won't mention it to Lily either. It will make when they find out more amusing."

"You're a terrible person."

"You say that like you wouldn't have done the same thing."

"He would have," Nichole spoke up for Adrien, nudging him with her shoulder. "And I'll bet he'll want to take you to King's Cross in hopes that he'll see them find out."

Adrien made no attempts to defend himself.

They fell into silence, but this time it was short lived. From downstairs came the sound of the front door opening and closing, and a moment later, they heard footsteps slowly ascending the stairs. Adrien sighed.

"Dad's home," he murmured.

He felt Nichole shake her head. "The injury didn't slow him down for long, did it?"

"Only as long as necessary," he replied.

"Tomorrow's Saturday," she said softly. "Will he take the weekend off?"

Adrien sighed again. "He'll try. But Death Eaters don't always take weekends off. If something happens, he's got to go." He frowned when he suddenly realized his sister had been being very quiet. "Sam?"

When she did not reply, Nichole pushed herself into a sitting position to glance at the bed.

"She's asleep," she told Adrien quietly. "Which makes me realize how late it is. I should probably go home. It was a long day at work today."

Adrien nodded, and they pushed themselves to their feet.

"Wait out in the hall," Adrien told her as she made her way to the door. "I'll come walk you downstairs in a minute."

He turned to the bed, and reached down to shake his sister's shoulder gently.

"Kiwi, wake up. At least turn the right way."

Her eyes slid opened, and she gazed at him sleepily for a moment before she pushed herself up.

"Did dad come home?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Just a few minutes ago," he replied. "Go back to sleep. I've got to see Nichole home. I'll see you in the morning."

She nodded, and watching him stride from the room before crawling to the head of the bed, falling onto her pillows. It was only a moment until she was once again asleep.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter. **

**Here's the next chapter! Sorry it's taking so long to get these out, but school's keeping me busy. I have more time that I thought I would to write though. I'll try to have the next update up as soon as I can! As always, a huge thanks to those that take the time to review. I love to hear your feedback.**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Twenty Two**  
**

"Are you sure about this, Prongs? I'm not sure it's a good idea."

"Don't be such a stick in the mud, Padfoot. This'll be fun."

Sirius was not so sure, but he had already allowed James to talk him into it, and he followed James as he ducked through the gate that lead to the Dawson's home. Sirius stuffed his hands in his pockets as he followed James up the front yard. James had skipped the path and was instead walking quickly towards the far right side of the house. Sirius kept pace, glancing up at the windows of Samantha's bedroom.

"What if she doesn't go along with it?"

James scoffed, and glanced over his shoulder at him. "Oh, she will. If she doesn't, we'll just have to drag her along. It'll be good for her."

When James had woken him up this morning with his ridiculous plan, Sirius had not wanted to come along, and had told James to go by himself. James hadn't taken no as an answer, which was how Sirius found himself following behind him as they approached Samantha's home.

He had tried to refuse James because he was apprehensive about spending time with Samantha. She had been welcoming to him when he had come to see her at St. Mungo's, but she had been tired and upset. He was not sure how she would act around him when she did not have other things on her mind, and he was worried. He hadn't attempted to explain this to James, who would have likely told him to stop overthinking things, which was why he had found himself grudgingly agreeing to come with him.

They stopped when they were underneath her window. The curtains in the sitting room were opened, and James glanced through the window to make sure Elizabeth or Tabitha were not in sight.

"Keep an eye out," he instructed Sirius.

He stepped back to better see Samantha's window.

"Sam," he hissed loudly.

Sirius shook his head. "She's not going to hear that, you duffer."

James shot him a look before turning his gaze to the ground. After a moment, he bent down and picked up a small pebble. He took another step back, and lifted his arm, taking aim, before throwing it at the window. He winced at how loudly it pinged when it hit the glass. Sirius rolled his eyes and shook his head, peering into the sitting room to make sure her mother or aunt had not heard. Luckily, it seemed they hadn't.

James watched Samantha's window for a long moment, and when she did not appear, he began to search for another pebble. When he found one, he straightened, and lifted his arm to throw it. Before he could, Samantha appeared at the window, and he lowered his arm. He saw her brow furrow, a question on her lips, and he waved her down. She stared at him for a long moment, seeming to be trying to decide something, before she held up a finger to tell him just a moment before disappearing from the window.

"She's coming," James said, turning to Sirius.

Sirius, who had seen the exchanged, nodded with an exasperated look. "I figured that out, Prongs."

It did not take long for Samantha to slip out of the front door. She still wore the confused look as she made her way down the front steps before stepping off the path and making her way towards them.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice matching the confusion on her face. "And why didn't you just knock on the door instead of sneaking around like some sort of criminals?"

As soon as she lumped him in, Sirius began to shake his head.

"Oh, no," he hurried to defend himself, "This is all his idea." He jerked his thumb in James's direction. "I've just been drug along."

Samantha stared at him for a moment before she turned her attention to James, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well?"

James grinned at her. "We are going to spend the day at Diagon Alley."

She continued to stare blankly at him. "I'm not allowed to go anywhere."

James nodded, his face serious, save for the mischievous grin splitting his lips. "Which is why we are, as you called it, 'sneaking around like some sort of criminals'."

One of her eyebrows rose. "Are you suggesting that I sneak out?"

"Exactly."

Sirius shook his head as he observed their conversation. He had told James that Samantha would not go along with them. Sometimes James forgot that she was not as impulsive as his other friends, despite how long he had known her.

"James." She sounded exasperated as she glanced behind her as if she expected her father to pop out the front door despite the fact that they all knew he was at work. "I can't go to Diagon Alley. I'm not supposed to leave the house."

"Oh, come on," James whined. "Don't you tell me that you don't mind being stuck in this house all of the time."

"Of course I hate it." She had moved past being exasperated, and now sounded frustrated. "But it's like that for a reason, and I'm not going to go against my father's wishes like that."

"Come on, Sam." James reached out and grabbed her arms. She continued to stare at him flatly. "Don't tell me that there's not at least a part of you that wants to go. Just let yourself have fun for once."

She shook her head. "James-"

"We'll be back before they even know you're gone," he continued, not letting her argue. "Your mom and aunt are out in the garden, and you'll be back before they even begin to miss you. Did you close your door when you left your room?"

She hesitated before she answered, knowing that her response would only egg him on further. "Yes."

He released her arms, throwing his hands into the air. "Well, there you go. If your door is closed they'll assume you're in there and won't question if you're not around."  
"Unless they wonder why I'm hiding all day and decide to make sure I'm alright."

"Oh come on. You very well know that the chances of them even coming inside in the next few hours is very unlikely. We'll be back before they even know you're gone."

Samantha chewed her lip, and glanced behind her once again. She had to admit that a part of her was tempted. She hated being confined at home all of the time, and this small chance for freedom was making her contemplate going against her father's wishes.

James knew what the look on her face meant, and a grin slowly began to work its way across his lips.

"We'll go, walk around for a little bit, and then come back before they can miss you. Just a couple of hours."

"We'll only be gone a short while?"

James nodded. "And we're wasting time discussing it. So let's go."

"I don't have any money on me," she replied, perhaps as a last effort to find a reason to not go. "I'll have to go back upstairs to get some."

"No, no, you'll risk getting caught by your aunt or mum. Let's go." James wrapped his arm around her shoulders and began to steer her down the yard towards the gate. "Today's my treat."

Sirius trailed behind them, and did not miss the last look Samantha cast back towards her home, and he wondered if James had maybe pushed her too hard into something that she was not comfortable with.

* * *

In no time at all they were in Diagon Alley. The day was dedicated more to getting away from home than looking for something in particular, so they slowly made their way through several shops, not paying much attention to which ones they went in. The only exception was that James insisted upon going into Quality Quidditch Supplies first, and spent a good twenty minute exclaiming over upcoming broom models.

Sirius watched Samantha closely when they first arrived. She seemed uncomfortable at first, but after they had gone through Eeylops Owl Emporium and Gambol & Japes, she seemed to relax and enjoy herself more. When he realized that maybe this was a good idea after all, he stopped worrying himself over keeping an eye on her and began to joke around with James. Samantha was amused by them and laughed several times. That was when Sirius realized that this was really the first time he had seen her in a setting that was neither school nor home. She seemed a lot more relaxed in this setting, and he realized that despite how close they had once been, there was still a lot that he did not know about her.

"Do you want to get an ice cream at Florean Fortescue's?" James asked the both of them.

Samantha shrugged, not caring much what they did. Sirius, on the other hand, nodded. They had skipped lunch to sneak over to Samantha's, and he was feeling puckish. Ice cream wasn't exactly the most filling lunch, but they could eat it while they continued to walk around since their time was quickly running out.

"I hate to admit that this may have actually been a brilliant idea on your part, James," Samantha admitted as they were polishing off their ice cream.

"I have to agree, Prongs," Sirius spoke up. "Perhaps you're more brilliant that I originally thought."

"Oy," James exclaimed. "My brilliance has been well-known for years. Don't act so surprised."

Sirius snorted. "Come off it. Everyone knows that I'm the mastermind of the Marauders." He jabbed Samantha in the side with his elbow. "Right, Sam?"

When James's gaze swung to her, she shook her head. "Oh, no. Don't you put me in the middle of this."

"No, no," James said. "I'm very interested to know which one of us you think is more brilliant. I know you've got the biased opinion of once having snogged him on a daily basis," At that Sirius began making a chocking noise, but Samantha did not seem fazed by James's comment, "But I hope that you also don't forget that the two of us have been best mates for our whole lives."

A smile tugged at her lips. "Why don't I just say the two of you are equal?"

At that, Sirius let out a laugh of victory. With a furrowed brow, James glanced at him over Samantha's head. "What are you so happy about, Padfoot? She still refuses to choose between us. We're 'equal'."

"She did say that, didn't she, Prongs?" Sirius replied. "But you are unable to see what that really means. You're at the level you're at from being her best mate for her entire life. I, on the other hand, only took a year to reach the same level. Which means that I'll surpass you in no time at all."

Samantha could not help but laugh at the indignant look James shot Sirius before turning it upon her.

"Is this true?" he demanded.

"He's only twisting my words, James."

"That doesn't answer my question. You're dodging it on purpose."

She shook her head. "You're overreacting."

"Am I? Am I? He," James pointed a finger in Sirius's direction. Sirius was watching him with his eyebrows raised, "has managed to work his way up to the same level as me in just a year. And it's only a matter of time until you completely replace me with him."

Samantha let out a snort of laughter. "James, that's ridiculous."

"Is it? I don't think it i-"

He was interrupted when the street suddenly exploded. Screams ripped through the air. The pavement beneath their feet bucked, throwing them off balance. Sirius grabbed Samantha's arm and pulled her to the side, shoving her against the wall of Flourish & Blotts, pressing against her to shield her from the debris that rained down around them.

James tugged Sirius's arm. "Let's go,"

Sirius nodded, and the three of them began to hurry towards the gateway that lead to the Leaky Cauldron, sticking close to the shops. Samantha slipped her hand into Sirius's, and he squeezed it gently to tell her that they were going to be alright.

They only made if a few feet before Samantha stopped. Sirius turned to see why, and then followed her gaze before reaching out to pull James to a stop as well. A figure was striding down the middle of the street in their direction, clothed in a black, hooded robe, their face concealed by a mask. The Death Eater was hexing witches and wizards in what seemed as a casual manner as he strode forward. They struggled to get away, but several who were not quick enough fell.

Sirius took several step back, pulling Samantha with him, before they turned and began to head back in the other direction. They once again only made it a few feet until they drew to a stop. Except from this direction, three Death Eaters strode side-by-side down the street.

James glanced around, and his eyes fell on Flourish & Blotts.

"In here," he urged.

The three of them hurried to the door, quickly slipping inside. They made their way to the back of the shop. A crowd of people were already seeking shelter in the bookstore.

"Get down," Sirius instructed, and they ducked behind a bookshelf to keep out of sight of the windows.

Sirius watched as James leaned against the shelf. He seemed to be in shock. He stared straight ahead, his eyes wide. His face and hair was covered in dust from when the debris from the street had fallen on them. Sirius knew what he was thinking. Already, James was blaming himself for their current predicament.

Shouts sounded from outside and Sirius stood up slightly to glance over the shelf to look out the windows. Several wizards, dressed in Ministry robes, had appeared, and were engaging the Death Eaters. He ducked back down.

"The Aurors are here," he informed them.

James nodded, and Samantha glanced sharply at him, worrying her bottom lip.

"My father?"

Sirius shrugged. "I dunno."

He didn't speak out loud what he already knew she was thinking, that if Brennan was not here, he would be shortly. He wondered how this day had turned out so badly.

The windows of the shop suddenly shattered, causing several people huddled against bookshelves to scream and a small child to start crying. Samantha leaned against him, and Sirius wrapped his arm around her as he slipped his wand out of his robes. James did the same, his free hand grasping Samantha's hand tightly.

The sound of glass crunching underneath booted feet sounded, and Sirius tensed, lifting his wand, ready to defend everyone in the book shop if needed. A few moments later, a Death Eater stepped into view. Behind his mask, he glanced around, before his gaze landed upon the three of them, separate from the larger group. Sirius raised his wand, a spell on his lips, but before he said anything, a jet of light caught the Death Eater in his side, sending him flying several feet before he crumpled to the ground.

"Is everyone alright?"

Samantha jerked violently at the voice of her father, and Sirius exhaled sharply, lowering his wand. Brennan appeared a moment later, and though his gaze landed on the others first, his eyes eventually slid their way. When he caught sight of them, he froze, the color draining from his face. His mouth opened to say something, but something diverted his attention, and he glanced back towards the doorway.

"They're all either secured or gone. It looks like we're finished here."

Brennan nodded, and turned back to face them. His shock was gone, and his brown eyes were hard as he gazed at them.

"You three come with me. Now."

His voice was lined with anger and left no room for arguments. They rose, and when Brennan turned on his heel and made his way out of the shop, they followed behind him. James took the lead, Samantha and Sirius lagging behind. She was looking anywhere but at her father, and Sirius placed a hand on the small of her back, both for comfort and to keep her going in the right direction since she seemed determined to not pay much attention to where they were going.

Brennan was striding to the gateway to the Leaky Cauldron at a fast pace, and they made sure to keep up, occasionally stumbling over a piece of debris or dodging a panicked shopper. When he reached the gateway, he stopped and turned to them. Sirius felt Samantha flinch.

"I want you to floo home from the Leaky Cauldron. Wait for me in the library. All three of you."

They did not move at first, not sure if he was done speaking or not. When he did not continue, they made their way through the gateway, feeling Brennan's gaze burning their backs as they went. Somehow the day had gone from innocent fun to them wishing that they had not left their homes at all.

* * *

The library was completely silent, as it had been for the past hour. Samantha was seated at the end of the sofa that was closest to the fireplace. She hadn't spoken a word since they had left Diagon Alley. She continuously shifted, shaking her leg or tugging at the sleeves of her robes. James watched her fidget guiltily. She had never crossed her parents before, and the only reason she had this time was because he had fought so hard to convince her to. Several times he had wanted to apologize, but each time he opened his mouth, he found that sound refused to come out.

Sirius alternated between watching the two of them. He could see the guilt on James's face. He'd told James it was a bad idea. But he could not blame him. By the time they had arrived at Diagon Alley, all three of them had believed that it was a good idea.

It was at least another hour before they heard the front door open, followed by Brennan's voice calling to Elizabeth to let her know he was home. Elizabeth's voice answered from the direction of the kitchen, telling him that dinner would be ready in half an hour. He called out a indiscernible reply as he began to climb the stairs. Sirius glanced at Samantha. She had gone still, her face pale, and the look on her face suggested that she was waiting for her execution, not for a berating from her father.

The library door opened, and Brennan stepped into the room. He looked just as angry as he had when they had left him in Diagon Alley, though when he glanced at his daughter, there was also a disappointment in his eyes. Sirius and James both looked at him hesitantly, though Samantha still refused to look at him.

"James, I've spoken to your father and told him what's happened. You and Sirius go downstairs and floo straight home. He's waiting for you."

Silently, they rose to their feet and shuffled from the room, James glancing back at Samantha as he stepped out of the room. When they were descending the stairs, Brennan closed the library door. He stood there a moment longer before moving across the room to the window, gazing outside to his backyard.

Samantha began to fidget again when he did not speak, lifting her gaze to stare at his back. Never before in her life had she felt so small. Her chest burned from anticipation, and she wished that he would say something. Even if he just started yelling. It would be better than this unnerving silence. She wanted to know how terribly he thought of her.

"Please say something," she pleaded softly.

This was enough to set him off. He turned sharply from the window, his brown eyes flashing. There was the expected anger there, but there was also something else, something that she was sure she had placed incorrectly. Surely he could not be worried for her when he was so angry and disappointed.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked her. He was not yelling like she expected, but the anger was still in his voice. "Do you want me to tell you how disappointed I am with you? You deliberately disobeyed me. I expected more from you."

Her gaze slipped down to her hands folded in her lap.

"You could have been _killed_. Do you even understand how terrified I was when I saw you? Do you understand what nearly happened today?" His voice grew louder, and she flinched. "I understand that you haven't been happy about not being able to leave the house this summer, but I set rules for a reason. And as long as you live in my home, you will follow those rules." He was yelling now, and her gaze remained glued to her lap. "I'm sorry that you're having to live in a time when we're at war, but the truth of the matter is that you are. And I am fighting to keep you safe, but I can't do that if you refuse to follow my rules. Do you understand?"

She managed to make herself nod. She heard her father's robes shift as he moved back to the window. She risked a glance upwards. His back was once again to her, his gaze out the window. She swallowed hard, wondering if he was finished or if there was more yelling to come. She didn't care if he did keep yelling. No matter what he said, there was no way for her to feel even worse than she already did.

"You can go," he told her quietly.

She did not need any more incentive. She stood and hurried from the library, heading straight to her room. She shut her bedroom door behind her before moving to her bed, falling forward onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow. For the first time, she allowed the shock over what had happened at Diagon Alley that afternoon to roll over her, and she fisted her hands to clutch at the fabric of her pillow, thankful that they had managed to make it without injury.

The only time she moved over the course of several hours was to turn over on her side and curl up. When her mother called her for dinner, she made no move to go to eat. She was not feeling up to facing her family just yet, and she was not hungry anyway.

She could not say exactly how long she lay there, but she knew it was late when she heard her door open. She did not acknowledge whoever it was, but when she felt her mattress shift as someone slid onto her bed, she knew it was her brother.

He watched the back of her head for a long moment, wondering if she was going to turn to face him. When she did not move, he sighed.

"He's only angry because he loves you," he told her softly. He saw her shoulders stiffen slightly. "Eventually, it will be like it never happened."

She still did not acknowledge him, and he sighed, turning his gaze to stare at the ceiling.

"Nichole's in St. Mungo's."

She finally reacted, and the bed moved beneath him as she turned over to look at him.

"She was there, too?' At his nod, she asked, "How is she?"

"She'll be alright," he replied, glancing her way. "She was in bad shape when I took her there, but they fixed her up. Said she should be able to go home tomorrow. I wanted to stay with her, but she insisted I go home."

Samantha nodded slightly before rolling back over. Nichole didn't deserve to be in St. Mungo's. She should be there herself. She had been the one who was not supposed to be at Diagon Alley. Nichole should not have had to suffer. She'd been doing nothing wrong. But that was how the war worked, and she hated that innocent people were constantly having to suffer.

She did not speak again, and after several long minutes, Adrien pushed himself from the bed. She heard him mutter a quiet goodnight before he slipped from the room. She shifted, pulling her covers over her, hoping that the knot in her stomach would go away soon so that she could sleep, though she was not ready to face the next day. She wondered how long she could get away with hiding in her room. The stress of the day finally caught up to her, and despite the knot still being there, she drifted off into an uneasy sleep, visions of the day replaying in her dreams.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**So sorry for the long wait! It's been a mixture of reasons. School's been busy. With the semester past the halfway point, the workload seems to never end. It seems the next weeks may be a bit more relaxed though. I also hit a slump with writing, where I went several weeks without writing at all. This happens sometimes; every now and then I just need to take a step back and take a break. On top of this, I'm currently trying to make a huge decision that not only will change what I'm studying, but this will also mean I will have to change schools. So a lot of worrying over that (I need to make a decisions very soon) keeps me from writing as well. But I've been on a roll for the past week, and hopefully it will keep going for awhile. Thank you for your patience.**

**As always, a huge thank you to those who reviewed! I love to hear your feedback!**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Twenty Three

Samantha did not leave her room the next day or the next other than to sneak downstairs to get a little bit of food while no one was around, though she still did not have much of an appetite. She'd felt as if her reluctance to leave her room went unnoticed. But on evening of the third day, while she sat at her desk and fought her way through Transfiguration homework Professor McGonagall had assigned for the summer, a knock had sounded at her door. She'd ignored it, her eyes remaining glued to her parchment. She had known that it was not Adrien. He had been spending his evenings at Nichole's, worrying over her despite the fact that she continuously told him that she was fine. The door had opened despite the fact that she did not say anything, and without looking, she'd known that it was her father.

He had not brought up the fact that she had been hiding for three days or that the last time he had spoken to her, he had been yelling. He had only crouched down beside her, his hand moving to rest on her shoulder, and had begun to walk her through her homework. From there, things had slowly gone back to normal.

Nearly a week after the incident in Diagon Alley, Samantha had received a letter from James, asking her to meet him at her living room fireplace at two o'clock that morning, when everyone would be in bed. She had snuck downstairs, and had had a long conversation with him, most of it consisting of James repeatedly apologizing, which she constantly brushed aside. He couldn't have known. He'd then asked her if she'd heard about her dorm mate, Courtney Lismore. Her stomach had felt as if it was filled with lead when James told her that she'd been in Diagon Alley, and that she was one of the few who hadn't made it out alive. She'd never particularly liked the girl, but she hadn't even had a chance to finish school and live her life before it was stolen from her. She'd felt sick at the very thought.

The remaining weeks of summer flew by, and before they knew it, they were all gathering at the platform at King's Cross for the Hogwarts Express to take them back to school.

"Honestly, James, if you go back to school with such unkempt hair, they'll begin to think you've been raised in a muggle zoo," Grace Potter scolded her son gently as she fussed over his hair, trying unsuccessfully to make it lie flat. James, his face full of annoyance, tried to duck away, but she would not let him.

"Mum," James sighed exasperatedly. "My hair looks just as it always does, and you know that nothing in the world can get it to lie flat."

"But it looks as if you've just rolled out of bed," she protested, though her hand dropped from his hair.

Sirius, who had been watching the exchange, chuckled at the defeated look that crossed over Grace's face as James brought a hand up to ruffle his hair.

"Now, boys," Joseph Potter spoke up, giving both James and Sirius a stern look. "I expect the both of you to stay out of trouble this year."

James threw his father an impish grin. "Don't we always?"

Joseph raised an eyebrow at his son. "Do I really need to answer that?" His gaze briefly flickered over James's shoulder. "And don't go getting Samantha into trouble again."

Both James and Sirius turned to see Samantha hugging her brother goodbye. The knot of guilt that had become familiar to James over the past month twisted in his stomach. Sirius nudged him in the side, a reminder that it was not his fault, and the knot loosened just a little.

James nodded at his father, plastering a grin on his face. "I'm Head Boy, remember?" he asked, pointing at the badge pinned to his robes.

Sirius snorted and muttered, "As if that's going to stop you."

James shot him a dirty look, but Joseph did not seem to notice as the Hogwarts Express had just whistled it's ten minute warning.

"The two of you ought to be going," he told them.

"Alright, dear," Grace said, moving forward to pull James into a hug as her husband shook Sirius's hand. "We'll see you at Christmas; don't forget you're coming home." Before James was able to pull away, she planted a kiss on his cheek.

"I know, mum," James grumbled when he pulled away. "You're throwing that Christmas party. I won't forget."

Grace hugged Sirius as well, and Joseph moved to clap his son on the shoulder. "Now, don't forget to stay out of trouble."

"Yeah, yeah, we've got it."

James and Sirius grabbed their trunks, and with a final farewell to the Potters, they began walking towards the train. James was quick to notice Samantha and Amber walking towards Lily, who was closer to the train speaking to Remus and Peter. James gestured at Sirius before they headed their way.

"Hey Evans, how was your summer?" James asked loudly, interrupting whatever conversation they'd been having, his hand moving to the back of his head to ruffle his hair.

"Just fine, thank you," she replied, her eyes barely flicking his way.

Samantha shook her head and exchanged a look with Amber. James did not seem deterred however, and opened his mouth to say something else when his eyes caught sight of something. He was unable to do anything at first but gape, his mouth and eyes wide. No one but Sirius noticed, and he shot him a strange look.

James's mouth moved as if he were attempting to stammer something, but no noise came out. Sirius thought he was the only one who had noticed, but a glance at Samantha told him she had noticed as well. She watched James with an odd expression on her face, though the smile that was tugging on her lips told him that she knew what was wrong with him.

By this point, James had managed to emit some sort of squeaking noise that drew the others' attention. Lily frowned when she saw how James was looking at her.

"What is it now, Potter?"

Remus broke the conversation he was holding with Peter, his eyebrow raised.

James lifted a finger to point at Lily, his eyes bulging. "You…You're Head Girl."

Lily's frown deepened, and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"And why do you care?"

Sirius's eyes lit up in understanding. He caught Samantha's eye and raised his eyebrows at her. She grinned back in return and shrugged. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he returned her grin. He had to admit, he was impressed. He was surprised that she had managed to keep the information to herself for so long.

James grinned broadly and pointed at his chest, where the Head Boy badge was pinned beside his Quidditch Captain badge. Lily shot him a look before stepping closer to see what he was point at. Her face suddenly turned horrified, and she moved even closer to make sure she was not seeing things.

"_You're_ Head Boy?" she asked in disbelief, her green eyes wide. "How are _you _Head Boy?"

"Well, I've got the badge, haven't I?" James replied with a grin. "It looks like we're going to be spending a lot of time together this year, Evans."

Lily shook her head and rubbed her head as if she was getting a headache. "I can't believe this," she muttered to herself. "What was Dumbledore thinkin-"

She cut herself off and jerked her gaze up, her eyes searching out Samantha.

"You knew about this," she accused, her eyes narrowed. "Don't even try and deny it. You knew."

Samantha suddenly found all of their attention on her, and she shrugged. James's eyes widened when he put the pieces together himself.

"You knew Evans was Head Girl and you didn't tell me," he whined.

"I decided that it would be more fun to watch you find out this way," she said by way of explanation. "And I was right."

Sirius let out a barking laugh at the look on James's face.

The whistle blew again, a five minute warning, and Lily shot Samantha another glare before saying, "We ought to be getting on the train."

Samantha and Amber followed behind her, Amber laughing at Lily's anger.

"I suppose we should go too," James said to his fellow Marauders. "I've got to meet with all the Prefects to work out patrol schedules and go over what's expected of them."

Peter and Remus snorted

"Or in your case," Sirius told James teasingly, "They can tell you what's expected of both themselves and you since you've always made it a point to ignore the prefects."

"Good old Remus can help me with that," James replied, slinging his arm over Remus's shoulders.

"You've been ignoring good old Remus for years when he's tried to tell you the rules," Remus replied dryly.

"I suppose it'll be up to me and Sirius to pull the pranks now," Peter spoke up.

James scoffed. "I'm not letting my being Head Boy keep me from pranks."

Sirius clapped him on the back as Remus shook his head. The final warning whistle blew, and the four boys hurried to get their trunks.

"Gentlemen," James said as they made their way onto the train. "Let's make this final year at Hogwarts one they'll never forget."

* * *

The first couple of weeks at Hogwarts went fairly smoothly. The seventh years' classes all began the same way: with the teachers explaining how heavy a work load they would have this school year in order to prepare for the N.E.W.T.s and to offer advice for not falling too far behind. James and Sirius had scoffed and exchanged looks. They did not plan to spend all of their spare time working on homework.

James started off the year determined to please Lily Evans when it came to working alongside her as Head Boy. They had had a rocky start; James had a hard time calling out rule breakers when he was one himself. But after a few glares and lectures from Lily, he began to adjust what he was doing for the sole purpose of pleasing her. A little over three weeks into the term, he was rewarded with a puzzled look that contained the hint of a smile. He made it his goal to get her to smile.

"We need to start this year out with a bang," James said, his legs slung over the arm of a chair in the common room. "We're coming on the fourth week of school and we still haven't done anything besides hexing defenseless first years and Slytherins."

Sirius, deposited in his own chair close by, looked over at James and snorted. "Says the one who's been going out of his way to not only follow the rules but to call anyone who breaks them out."

"I'm Head Boy," James replied. "It's my responsibility."

"Responsibility my arse," Sirius scoffed. "The only reason you're pretending to be such a model student is because of Evans."

"My future wife."

Sirius waved his hand dismissively. "Sure, sure."

"Don't discourage him, Padfoot," Remus spoke up from where he was seated on the floor, several sheets of parchment and opened textbooks spread in front of him on the coffee table. "I have to admit I thought Dumbledore was mental when I first found out he'd made James Potter of all people Head Boy, but I've been quite surprised at how well he's been handling it."

James shot Remus a cheeky grin. "Thank you, Moony."

"It's all true, Prongs."

James nodded before turning back to Sirius. "But we really ought to think of some sort of prank soon or people will think we've lost our touch." His grin grew at Remus's loud groan. But James could tell that by the way the werewolf's quill had stilled, he was deep in thought over what they could possibly do.

"We could plan something big for Halloween," Peter spoke up from Remus's other side where he was surrounded by his own pile of homework.

James pointed at him. "Yes, brilliant. But we need something else, too. That's still over a month away."

"Does it have to be a prank?" Peter asked. "Because someone's birthday is next week and I feel our efforts would be better used to plan a big party."

"You, Wormtail, are absolutely brilliant."

Even Remus had to agree that a large party would be the best way to celebrate Sirius's upcoming eighteenth birthday.

"We did sort of miss it last year, after all," he said, giving Sirius a somewhat apologetic look. They did not often speak of the last fall.

Sirius wrinkled his nose and shrugged. "I dunno," he replied. "I was thinking I might celebrate a little more quietly this year."

All three boys glanced over at him, eyebrows raised.

"Quietly as in with a girl?" James questioned. "You're not talking about Morgan, are you?"

"Morgan?" Remus echoed, his eyebrows raising even higher. "I thought you wouldn't have anything to do with her anymore?"

"He's been spending some time with her since we've come back to school," James explained, his voice lined with disgust.

"Come off it, Prongs," Sirius drawled.

"I will not come off it," James snapped. "I tried to ignore it but I can't anymore. I thought you hated her? And now you're passing up a huge party thrown by your best mates to spend your birthday with…with _her_."

"I went back to her because she doesn't try to fight me and she's familiar. And her best friend died this summer. I feel a bit bad," Sirius explained quietly. James snorted and muttered something about excuses under his breath. "It's not all the time and I'm not flaunting it publicly." He gave James a significant look, but the other boy only rolled his eyes. "If you lot want to throw me a party, feel free. But do it on the weekend. I'd like my actual birthday to be quiet. It doesn't exactly bring about the best memories."

They could not argue with that. Remus was quick to change the subject back to Peter's suggested Halloween prank, and the conversation quickly turned to that. Whatever had passed between James and Sirius a moment ago was long gone, and the two boys animatedly threw out possible ideas for what they could do.

When Lily came by an hour later to retrieve James for their patrol, something she didn't seem to be looking forward to too much, James immediately dropped the subject and leapt to his feet, following Lily out of the common room. Sirius muttered about him being whipped before he got anything in return, causing Remus and Peter to burst out laughing.

Smiling, Sirius glanced up and caught sight of Samantha seated across the common room with Amber. She laughed at something Amber had said and a knot twisted in his stomach despite how much he tried to fight it away. He forced himself to look away and to turn his attention back to Remus and Peter, and for the rest of the night he found himself fighting to not look up again.

* * *

"Have you finished your Defense essay?" Amber asked.

Samantha nodded and wordlessly slid her essay across the table to Amber.

"Have you done Transfiguration?" Samantha asked in return.

Amber cursed under her breath.

"I forgot all about Transfiguration, Sam. I'm sorry. But it's not due until tomorrow afternoon so I want to get this Defense essay done first. These professors are mental, throwing all of this at us at once."

Samantha shook her head. "Don't worry about it," she said, standing from the table. "I saw James go up to his room about an hour ago. I'll go see if he'll come down and help me."

Amber nodded as Samantha made her way across the common room towards the stairs leading up to the boy's dorm.

"James," she called, knocking before pushing open the door. "Could you come downstairs and-"

She broke off, her eyes widening and heat rising into her cheeks. Morgan stood in the middle of the room, scantily dressed and looking around as if she were trying to locate the rest of her clothing. Her head jerked up when the door opened, and when she saw that it was Samantha, a smirk spread across her lips.

"I…I'm sorry," Samantha stammered out, her eyes glued to the floor. "I was looking for James. I thought he was up here."

"He was," Morgan replied, smirk growing. "But Sirius kicked him out. a bit ago. I think I heard him mutter something about the library, so maybe you ought to check there."

Samantha nodded and began to back out of the room. At that moment, the bathroom door opened, and Sirius stepped into the room, clad only in his boxers. Surprise crossed his face when he caught sight of Samantha in the doorway, and their eyes locked briefly before she turned and fled from the room.

Cursing loudly, Sirius grabbed for his clothes. He hopped around as he pulled on his trousers, and he only took the time to button a few buttons on his shirt before he headed out of the room, ignoring Morgan when she called after him.

It did not take him long to catch up to her. His strides were longer than hers, and she had not made it too far down the seventh floor corridor.

"Sam," he called out to her when he drew closer. "Sam, wait a moment."

Her steps faltered before she completely stopped as if she had been trying to decide if she wanted to listen to him. She slowly turned to face him, and he wondered just how hard she was working to school her face into the impassive look she was giving him.

"Yes?"

Her nonchalant tone frustrated him. He'd expected her to be openly upset and angry, but she was masking it better than he'd thought her capable. But her blue eyes gave her away.

"Listen," he said softly. "That wasn't what it looked like."

Her brow furrowed tightly and she crossed her arms over her chest. The look was a mixture of condescension and extreme doubt and it made him realize how ridiculous what he'd just said sounded.

"Really?" Her voice was the perfect reflection of the look on her face. "Then what exactly was it?"

Sirius pulled a face. "Well, it was just a…a…I mean we were just…"

"It's none of my business," she said to him over his stammered attempt at a response, surprised he was trying to explain himself. "I was just looking for James. I ought to go and find him."

She stared at him a moment longer before giving him a tight smile and turning, slowly making her way down the corridor. Sirius stared after her, tempted to call after her, to make sure she was not upset. But she had been right; it was not her business. They were no longer together. So then why was he so worried about what she thought of him?

He watched her retreating back a moment longer before he broke into a jog to catch up to her. When she heard his approaching footsteps, she turned back towards him, a questioning look on her face.

"I don't know what you're looking for James for," he said, running a hand through his hair, "But if it's something I could help you with, it would save you a trip to the library."

Her lips tilted up into a small smile. "I don't think helping me with Transfiguration homework is exactly the way you'd like to spend your birthday."

He shrugged and gave her a smile. "That's how I spent my birthday last year. And I don't remember it being all that terrible."

The corners of her mouth twitched and she glanced over her shoulder. When she turned back to him, any trace of a smile was gone.

"I'll just go find James," she told him. "You seem rather busy."

"I really don't mind. I still need to do mi-."

"I've tried not to notice how many girls you've been keeping in your company." His mouth snapped closed when she cut him off. She was unable to meet his gaze, and her eyes shifted restlessly. "It's not my place. But seeing you with Morgan after last spring…" She trailed off, unable to continue.

Sirius sighed heavily. He stepped closer to her and gently moved his fingers beneath her chin, tilting her head up so that her gaze met his own. His grey eyes studied her closely and he shook his head.

"Samantha," he said softly. "Those girls…they mean nothing. They're only a distraction from losing you. Last spring-"

"Don't." She shook her head sharply.

"Last spring was a misunderstanding," he continued, ignoring her interruption. "If you'd only let me explain-"

"Can you really blame me for not allowing you to explain yourself?" she asked him heatedly

Sirius stared at her for a moment before dropping his fingers from her chin. "No," he replied, voice coarse. "I can't. I can't change the past, but I can tell you that it wasn't _anything_. It was just-"

"You don't have to explain, Sirius," she said to him gently, all trace of her anger vanished.

"We both deserve for you to know what happened," he told her firmly.

"Bu I already know what happened."

"No, you don't. You only think you know."

"No, I know what happened." Her raised voice was enough to startle him into silence. "James told me everything this summer. He told me what really happened." She shook her head. "I should have listened to you after…" Her eyes held his. "I'm sorry Sirius. It's all my fault."

His eyes searched hers carefully, and his face softened at the guilt he saw in them. "No, Sam," he said softly. "If it's anyone's fault it's Morgan's. And mine, for not trying to make you understand what happened."

"But I could have allowed you to explain. I know you didn't try to because I told James that I didn't want to hear any excuses."

"You were upset. And for good reason." She still looked unconvinced, the guilt still shone in her eyes. He sighed, and took her arms in his hands. "Sam, it's in the past. We can move on."

He did not realize how his words would sound to her until her eyes turned guarded and she stepped backwards out of his grip, putting distance between them.

"That came out wrong," he quickly said, nearly taking a step closer, but he held himself back. "I didn't mean it like that."

Samantha shook her head, her gaze lowered. Sirius stared at her, wishing she would say something. Eventually, her eyes met his, and her face was just as impassive as it had been at the start of their conversation. She looked at him for a long moment before extending her hand towards him. He stared at it, blinking, not quite sure what she was doing.

"Friends?" she asked him, her eyes expectant.

He continued to stare at her hand. The conversation had gone better than expected, and he did not understand why there was a sinking feeling in his chest. Swallowing, he reached out to grasp her hand and shook it gently.

She gave him a small smile as he released her hand. "Happy birthday, Sirius."

He stood there, watching her walk down the corridor. It was not until her retreating back had moved out of sight that he turned and slowly made his way back to the common room. When Morgan attached herself to him, he pushed her away, muttering he was no longer in the mood. He sat staring into the fireplace for the remainder of the night.

* * *

The party James, Remus, and Peter threw Sirius the following night lived up to the expectations the entirety of the Gryffindor house had about the Marauders throwing a celebration. Nearly the whole house stayed up all night celebrating, not questioning where all of the sweets and bottles of butterbeer had come from. Sirius was surprised at how much he ended up enjoying himself, not particularly having cared to have a party thrown in his honor. But he was not enjoying himself enough to keep himself from noticing that Samantha did not come join the festivities.

September faded and gave way to October.

Despite their conversation, nothing much changed between Sirius and Samantha. They still spoke, but not near as much as they did the previous year. James was not sure what, but he knew something had changed, but they both refused to tell him anything on the matter. Despite the outcome of the conversation, Sirius was careful to not be seen in public in the company of a girl. He knew it would not fool Samantha, but he thought perhaps it would make it easier. He could not bring himself to stop. He needed the distraction.

But things were changing elsewhere. On the evening of October the eleventh, James burst into the common room after patrolling the corridors with Lily. None of his fellow Marauders were around, so he marched right up to where Samantha and Amber were seated before the fireplace. He looked to be hardly controlling himself as he sat himself beside Samantha.

Samantha ignored him at first, her eyes remaining on the book that was in her lap. But when he began to bounce, she glanced up at him, eyebrows raised.

"Well, what is it then?" she asked impatiently.

He leaned closer to her. "James," he whispered.

She leaned away from him, giving him a strange look. "That's your name, yes," she replied slowly.

His face broke out into a huge grin which, paired with his wide eyes, made him look quite mad. "And guess who's using it."

She did not reply, only continued to stare at him as if he'd gone mental.

"Lily," he said slowly when she did not answer him. " She called me James."

Finally understanding, she broke out into laughter.

James shot her an offended look. "You're supposed to be happy for me."

"Oh shut it," she said when she managed to silence her laughter, shoving his shoulder "I am. It's just with the way you were acting, I wasn't sure what to expect. But it's very good progress."

James, still wearing a huge grin, began to go over his patrol with Lily in detail. Smiling at his enthusiasm, Samantha glanced over at Amber, who was watching them from a nearby armchair, a large grin of her own upon her face as she listened to James's story.

"So are you going to tell us what's going on with you and Potter?" Amber questioned up in their room later, hardly giving Lily much time to set down her books before she pounced. "Sam and I heard quite an interesting story earlier."

Lily sighed heavily. "So you've already heard then? Honestly, all I did was call him by his given name and I thought his eyes might pop out of his head."

"You should have seen him when he came into the common room," Samantha spoke up from where she was seated on her bed. "I thought he was about to explode. When I ignored him, he started to bounce."

Lily rolled her eyes and seated herself on her own bed. "You'd think I had agreed to wed him or something with the way he reacted. All I did was call him James."

"Yes," Amber said, her eyes gleaming. "But you have been a lot friendlier to him, especially in the past few weeks."

Lily shrugged and pulled her pillow into her lap, hugging it to her chest. "He's been different this year. I dunno what changed."

"Changed?" Samantha repeated, recalling how mental he had seemed earlier in the common room. "He seems the same to me."

"Well," Lily said slowly, looking thoughtful. "I suppose he's the same normally. But when the two of us are together…he's rather different. More subdued. He' s not declared me his future wife or asked me to Hogsmeade, not since June. When he's not doing that, he's quite nice to talk to."

"I've been trying to tell you that for years," Samantha muttered. Lily ignored her.

Amber gave Lily a small smile. "Seems like his claims about you being his future wife may not be as unlikely as we once thought."

With a scowl, Lily launched the pillow in her lap at Amber, hitting her in the head.

"I'm admitting that he's not as bad as he seemed, that's all. "

Samantha and Amber exchanged smiles.

"Didn't you once say that you'd never even be able to stand to speak to him?"

Lily's scowl shot towards her.

"Don't you two start."

She stood from her bed and strode into the bathroom, leaving Samantha and Amber to exchange another look.

"Five galleons they're together before we leave Hogwarts," Samantha said.

Amber snorted. "Ten it's before Christmas."

"You've got yourself a deal."

* * *

**End Chapter**


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**Again, sorry for the wait! I've had this ready to post for several days now, but between Thanksgiving and working every day of my break, I didn't have the time. I hope that everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving had a wonderful holiday. The next chapter may take a bit to come out as well because I only have one week of classes left, in which I have tests and research papers, and then we have a week of final exams. But hopefully I'll get one out before I get too busy w****ith Christmas. This chapter's a little longer to hopefully make up for the wait.  
**

**As always, a huge thanks to those that review. I really love hearing your thoughts.**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Twenty Four

"I'm not particularly fond of full moons that fall on weekdays."

Sirius gave James a sideways look. "Not that I don't agree with you, Prongs," he drawled, "But don't let Remus hear you say that. He'll start ranting about inconveniences."

"I'm terribly sorry the full moon is on a weekday this month," James said in the best imitation of Remus he could muster. "Shall I ask the bloody moon to please only fall on weekends?"

Sirius snorted. "And then you'll egg him on by telling him that would be lovely, thank you, and then he'll yell for hours." James did not deny it. "And people think he doesn't have a temper," Sirius muttered before glancing at James. "That was a terrible impression, by the way."

James scoffed. "I'd like to see you try."

"I reckon it'd be better than yours."

"You ought to watch yourself, mate. Are you forgetting we're heading to practice? I'll make you fly through drills the entire time and then some."

"I thought that's what you had planned for Reed and I anyway?" Sirius asked. "To get us used to working together."

Reed Hathaway was a fifth year and the only new addition to the team this year, replacing Mason Cunningham, who had been a seventh year the year previous, as Sirius's fellow beater.

"I could keep you after practice," James threatened.

"But you won't," Sirius retorted. "Because you know that I need to get as much homework done as possible before tomorrow night, as do you."

James raised his eyebrows. "Don't test me, Padfoot, or I'll have your sorry arse flying laps all night."

Sirius's only response was a shake of his head before something caught his eye. They had just stepped into the courtyard when he noticed Severus Snape seated in a corner. There was a book opened in his lap, but his gaze was elsewhere. Following it, Sirius caught sight of Lily seated with Samantha across the courtyard. They were deep in conversation, and Lily seemed oblivious to the boy who was watching her so intently.

Straightening his shoulders, Sirius nudged James in the side and whispered, "Snivellus," nodding in Snape's direction.

James caught sight of him as well, and a grin slowly crept across his lips. "I think we're in the need of some entertainment before practice," he said, already changing the direction of his stride. Sirius followed behind him, his hands shoved in his pockets and an amused grin on his face.

"Oi, Snivellus," James called when they drew closer. "You ought to forget about Evans. There's no way she'll ever talk to you again."

Snape was on his feet as soon as he heard James's voice, the book in his lap falling to the ground with a thud.

"No thanks to the two of you," Snape spat, his dark eyes narrowed. "Mind your own business, Potter."

"Not until you mind yours," James snapped, nodding towards the two girls still in conversation. "It's not becoming, staring at her so openly."

"Yeah, Snivellus," Sirius drawled, moving to stand beside James. "Have you no shame?"

He stared heatedly at the both of them. "The two of you cost me my best mate."

"You did that all on your own," James told him. "We didn't make you say anything you didn't want to."

"Besides," Sirius spoke up, "You seem to be keeping good company now. Or do you not like spending all of your time with Death Eaters? I'll bet you already decided to devote your life to your precious Dark Lord."

"You know nothing about me, _Black_."

"Lily's been getting along just fine without you," Sirius continued, ignoring him. "She's been getting along wonderfully with my mate here," he said with a nod towards James. James smiled smugly. "My guess is it's only a matter of time before they're a couple. I suppose then, they'll both have to thank you."

Snape's eyes flashed, and his wand was quickly out and pointed at Sirius, James's own wand was drawn just seconds after. Sirius, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned, staring calmly back at Snape, who was seething in anger.

"I'm tired of your arrogance," Snape hissed between clenched teeth. "Someone ought to bring it down a notch, and it would be such a shame if that someone was anyone besides myself."

"You don't have the guts to cross me," Sirius said lowly, his face suddenly tight as he took a step closer, ignoring the wand pointed at his chest.

A muscle jumped in Snape's jaw as he continued to stare Sirius down. Eventually, his wand lowered. "We'll see, Black," he said quietly. With one last look at Lily, he shoved himself between Sirius and James, striding from the courtyard.

Sirius snorted and glanced over at James, who was slipping his wand back into his robes.

"Think he'll act on those words?"

"Not a chance, mate," James replied. "Not a chance."

* * *

Samantha sighed as she studied the various plants in front of her, attempting to identify their names and uses without the use of the closed Herbology textbook beside her. She'd always enjoyed the subject, and had always gotten the hang of it rather quickly, but she had found that since she'd begun preparing for the N.E.W.T.s, it took a lot more effort for her to absorb information into her brain.

She tugged at the ends of her hair, which was pulled back out of her face, before giving up and cracking opened the book once again to read over the information one more time, hoping that this time, it would stick.

Her eyes burned, tired of studying for the day. Outside the greenhouse, it was quickly growing dark, and she knew she was cutting it close to curfew. But she was determined to get this down before she called it a night.

Ten minutes later, she was growing frustrated, and was close to giving up, when the greenhouse door suddenly opened, causing her to jump in surprise. Her brow furrowed, and she was immediately on her guard when Severus Snape stepped inside.

He sneered when he caught sight of her. "You're out rather close to curfew, aren't you?"

"I could say the same about you."

"I have permission," he replied, holding up a bit of parchment. "From Professor Slughorn. He sent me to gather potion ingredients."

"If you say so," she muttered as she stood to leave, having suddenly found a perfectly good reason to call it a night.

"You seem frustrated," Snape observed as he moved to a plant, pulling off a few of its leaves. "Having trouble studying? I hear Lupin is rather fond of Herbology. Perhaps you should have asked him to accompany you tonight."

"Not that it's any of your business," she snapped, grabbing her bag off of the floor and slamming it down on the table, "But Remus has gone home for the night. His poor mum is sick again."

Snape's dark eyes gleamed and his lips tilted into a smirk.

"It's odd isn't it?" he asked.

Samantha, busy gathering her notes, paused and glanced up at him through untrusting eyes.

"What's odd?" she asked slowly against her better judgment to just ignore him and leave.

"That his mother seems to fall ill only once a month," Snape replied, still picking leaves off of the plants. "Surely you've noticed."

She shrugged, and continued to gather her notes. "Perhaps it's only once a month because that's all he can afford to miss of school."

"And I'm sure you've noticed," Snape continued, abandoning the leaves to take a few steps towards her, the table she had been studying upon the only barrier between them, "That he seems just as ill as he would have you believe his mother is before he leaves and after he returns."

"I've always assumed it was worry for his mother. And I don't know why I'm discussing this with you. I've got better things to be doing."

Having finally gotten her things together, she placed her backpack over her shoulders and began to make her way out of the greenhouse. When she rounded the corner of the table, she came to a halt, anger flashing in her eyes, when she saw that Snape had moved into her path.

"What are you doing?"

Snape's eyes were not on her, however, but were looking over her shoulder at the transparent wall of the greenhouse behind her.

"There's a full moon tonight."

Giving him an odd look, Samantha glanced over her shoulder to see the bright full moon just barely peering over the tree tops of the Forbidden Forest, its image distorted by the walls of the greenhouse.

"I'm surprised," Snape said to her. "You and Potter have supposedly been best mates for life, and you and Black were together for quite a while, yet they both insist upon keeping secrets from you."

She drug her eyes away from the moon to look back at Snape. "What are you talking about?"

His smirk widened into a sneer. "Are you aware that Dumbledore is allowing a dark creature to reside in the school?"

She shook her head. "So now you've resorted to making things up?"

She did not think it possible, but his sneer widened even more. "I'm doing nothing of the sort. One of the students is a werewolf. I'm sure if you thought about it hard enough, you could figure out who it is."

Her jaw clenched tightly as she glared at him. "Let me pass," she ground out between her clenched teeth.

Snape stared at her down his nose for a long moment before he stepped aside. She brushed past him and strode from the greenhouse. For a moment, she thought he had actually allowed the subject to drop, but she had only made it a few feet before she heard his footstep following behind her in the grass.

With a roll of her eyes, she spun around, drawing out her wand for good measure, pointing it at him. It had the desired effect when he stopped.

"Why are you bothering me?" she snapped, taking a few steps back. "If you've got a problem with James or Sirius, take it up with them."

"I'm only trying to warn you," was his unconcerned reply. "If there were a werewolf residing in my house, I'd like to know."

"Why don't you just mind your own business?"

"I'm sure by now you've pieced together who it is. You're a clever girl. So what will you do now?"

"Pretend that this conversation never happened, because it is the business of neither one of us." She shook her head. "Did you really think this would upset me? Not everyone judges people for who or what they are. Not all werewolves are bad and he most certainly isn't."

Snape's lips curled into a sneer. "Spoken like a true blood traitor. Your father would be proud."

She clenched her jaw tightly and her eyes flashed. "Don't you talk about my father."

A blue jet of light shot out of her wand, headed for Snape's chest. But Snape had always been skilled at dueling, and his wand was out and deflecting her hex before he waved it at her. Samantha, on the other hand, was not particularly skilled at dueling, and she felt her wand slip from her fingers. When he caught her wand in his hand, he smirked at the look that crossed her face.

"You should know better than to try and hex me, Dawson," he told her, sliding her wand into his robes, keeping his own trained on her.

"What are you trying to prove?" she asked him loudly, her eyes narrowed. She did not care that he had her wand. She was not afraid of Severus Snape.

"I'm not trying to prove anything. I'm only trying to inform you of the types of students Dumbledore is allowing in the school."

As a thought occurred to her, her eyes narrowed. "How do you even know about it? I know them enough to know how big of a secret this is to them. I doubt they just told you about it."

"I'm sure you know that Black has quite a temper. Get him angry enough and he'll tell you nearly anything."

"You're lying," Samantha hissed. "He'd never betray his friends like that."

Snape tilted his head to the side. "Are you sure about that? Didn't you ever wonder why his friends refused to speak to him for so long last year? Why he'd never tell you a reason for that?"

This time she hesitated before she said, "I don't believe you."

"Believe what you will. But Black is not as loyal to his friends as he would seem."

"I don't believe you," she repeated, louder this time to the point where she was nearly shouting. "You talk as if you know him, but you don't know him at all."

"Or is it that you're realizing that you don't know him at all?" Snape asked in return. "You've come to know what the female population of Hogwarts refuses to see: That Sirius Black only thinks of himself."

"You're wrong," she said lowly with a shake of her head. "You're the one who doesn't know him at all."

"Odd how you defend him even after you've broken up with him."

"Don't pretend like you understand anything."

Snape let out a short laugh. "I think perhaps I understand more than you give me credit."

Her eyes narrowed, "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

Whatever his reply may have been was interrupted by a low growling. Samantha whirled around to face the grounds, her eyes wide, vaguely aware of Snape raising his wand towards where the noise had come from. It was dark now, and all she could make out was the outline of the trees of the Forbidden Forest where the sloping lawn met up with its edge.

The growling sounded again, closer this time and nearer to where Snape was standing. Samantha took a couple of steps away from the noise, her wide eyes frantically scanning the darkness, attempting to see whatever creature was growling.

Snape was backing up frantically towards the castle, his wand still trained towards where the growling had emitted. He did not even glance her way, and she was not surprised that he did not seem to care that he was leaving her alone and defenseless.

He did not make it far.

A dark figure suddenly burst into their line of sight. It flew through the air and landed before Snape, growling viciously. From where she was standing, Samantha could make out dark fur and a wolf-like body, and for one terrifying moment, she thought it was the werewolf. But amidst the growls, the creature began to bark furiously, and she was surprised to realize it was a dog.

Snape scrambled back several feet, his face frightened as the dog bared his teeth at him, threatening to bite. The dog moved closer and a red jet of light shot out of Snape's wand. The spell missed the dog, and if Samantha didn't know any better, she would have said that the dog dodged the spell.

The dog suddenly shot towards Snape, jumping at him and latching onto his wand hand with its teeth, causing Snape to howl in pain and drop his wand. Snape struck out at the dog with his foot and caught it in the ribs, causing the dog to let go of his hand with a yelp. At once, Snape grabbed his wand from the ground before turning on his heel and taking off for the castle, not looking back at Samantha once.

Nervously, she turned her attention back to the dog. Its attention had turned to her, but it was no longer growling or bearing its teeth. It began to walk towards her, and her breath caught in her throat. She wanted to back away, to keep distance between them, but she was rooted to the spot. Not having a wand did not help her fear.

The dog began to approach quicker, and she mentally screamed at herself to move, to do anything but just stand there. The dog was nearly upon her now, and she finally willed herself to take a step back when she found herself no longer staring at a dog but none other than Sirius Black.

She was too astounded to do no more than gape at him.

His grey eyes were angry as he gazed as her, his breath coming out in short bursts. She blinked at him a few times, struggling to form words that would just not come. She managed to form the first part of his name two or three times before he silenced her with a sharp shake of his head.

Clenching his jaw tightly, he began to make his way towards the castle, grabbing her wrist as he passed her, dragging her along behind him. It did not take her long to move past her shock and begin to protest, but her words fell on deaf ears, and she was forced to stumble up the stone stairs behind him.

They both heard James's voice shout Sirius's name from further down the lawn, but Sirius ignored him and pulled Samantha through the large oak doors before she could glance back. She thought he would stop once they were inside, but he continued up the main staircase. He took them around several turns, and did not stop until he was sure that they would not be stumbled upon by other students. He released her wrist and moved forward several more steps before he stopped. Samantha frowned deeply at his back, rubbing her wrist. When he did not turn around or speak, she took a step closer.

"Sirius?" she asked hesitantly. She flinched when he whirled around to face her.

"What did he tell you?"

She was surprised at how calm his voice was. It did not reflect the anger that lined his face.

He must have decided that she was taking too long to answer because he stepped forward and roughly grabbed hold of her arms, asking again, "What did he tell you?"

This time, he shouted at her, anger and frustration lining his voice, a perfect reflection of the look on his face.

"Sirius!"

James's shout from down the corridor interrupted them before she could give Sirius an answer. Samantha turned her gaze to see James and Peter rushing towards them. But Sirius kept his darkening eyes trained on her.

"This isn't your business, Prongs," Sirius called to him.

"Like hell it isn't, Black," James called back, and the venom in his voice was enough to make Sirius hesitate. "Don't you dare mess this up again."

Samantha furrowed her brow. Mess what up again?

Sirius inhaled heavily, and made an obvious effort to reign in his anger. His face softened slightly, but an aura of anger still surrounded him.

"Just tell me," Sirius said to her quietly. "Did he tell you about Remus?"

She searched his eyes for a moment before she whispered, "Yes."

His hands tightened on her arms painfully, and she shoved the soft cry of pain that threatened to escape her lips back. James reached them then, and he grabbed hold of Sirius.

"Get off of her," he said firmly, pulling Sirius away.

"Snape told her about Remus," Sirius told James when James had pulled him to the opposite wall of the corridor.

Peter's eyes widened from where he was standing out of the way. James, on the other hand, did not seem surprised at all.

"And that's a good reason to shout and grab hold of her like you have?"

"We have to make sure she doesn't tell anyone," Sirius protested.

Whatever James was going to say in response was interrupted by Samantha's indignant cry of, "I wasn't planning on telling anyone!"

Sirius's attention turned back to her, and he pulled himself out of James's grasp to walk towards her, though he was careful to leave distance between them to keep James from pulling him away again.

"How are we supposed to believe that?" he challenged her.

Her eyes narrowed. "Just what kind of person do you think I am?"

"I'm not sure. Most people who would find out Remus's secret would be disgusted. They'd spread the word, get him kicked out of school, ruin his life."

James watched Samantha's face turn from annoyed to furious and rolled his eyes. Sirius was digging himself into a deeper and deeper hole and he did not intend to help him climb out.

"If that's how you think I'd react," Samantha said lowly, "Then you don't know me at all."

Before Sirius could reply, she turned on her heel and began to make her way down the corridor. Sirius did not try and stop her. He simply watched her until she turned a corner and disappeared. When she was gone, he turned to find James watching him with wide eyes.

"Come off it, Prongs," he muttered.

"No, I will not 'come off it'," James replied. "What the hell was that?"

"I had to make sure she wouldn't say anything," Sirius explained. The adrenaline that had been flowing through him since he had heard Samantha and Snape arguing when they had been heading to the Whomping Willow was beginning to dissipate, leaving him feeling weary.

"Make sure? Sirius," James shot him an exasperated look. "You know her better than that. She'll keep the secret just as well as anyone else."

Sirius shifted nervously. "But what about Remus? What will he think?"

James shrugged. "He won't be happy, but his anger will be at Snape. I suppose he's lucky Sam's the only one he decided to divulge the secret to."

Sirius continued to fidget. "But I'm the reason Snape told her." At James's furrowed brow, he clarified, "Yesterday when he told me I was arrogant."

"But we decided that Snape wouldn't act upon that threat."

"Well, it seems he has anyway," Sirius said bitterly.

James shrugged. "It turned out alright. No one got hurt."

"And Remus will blame me for what happened," Sirius finished for him.

At that, comprehension dawned on James's face. "You're worried he'll see this as your fault. That it'll be a repeat of last fall."

When Sirius did not answer, James sighed.

"He won't blame you, mate. He'll understand. I didn't think it was something Snape would act upon either, remember?"

Sirius's only response was a shrug of his shoulders.

"I'll talk to him tomorrow," James promised. "But right now we need to get to the shack."

When Sirius nodded and began to make his way down the corridor, James reached out to grab hold of the back of his robes to stop him.

"Not you, mate."

Sirius whirled around, protest written all over his face. "I thought you said it wasn't my fault? Why won't you let me go?" he demanded to know.

"Because there's something else you need to do," James explained.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you talking about?"

James shot him an exasperated look. "Samantha, you dolt," he explained. "You can't have yelled at her like that and leave it. You're going to go after her and apologize."

"Am I now?" Sirius challenged him.

"Yes, you are," James told him firmly. "You're the one who overreacted, so you're the one who's got to fix it. Tonight."

They stared at each other for a long moment. When Sirius did not protest anymore, James nodded.

"We'll see you in the morning."

Sirius shoved his hands in the pockets of his robes and watched James and Peter retreat down the corridor. He sighed, realizing there would be no avoiding this. If he didn't do as James said, he'd have to hear him rant about it for the next three days. Tilting his head back in frustration despite the fact that he _knew_ he had brought this upon himself, he turned and began to head in the direction Samantha had gone in. If he was lucky, she would have gone to Gryffindor Tower, and if that were the case, he knew of a shortcut that would help him to catch her before she entered the common room. The trick would be to get her to listen to him.

* * *

He caught up to her in the seventh floor corridor, before she was able to give the password to the Fat Lady and climb through the portrait hole. She ignored him when he called her name, but his strides were longer, and he stepped in front of her. She came to an abrupt halt, her gaze untrusting.

"Did you forget to yell something at me?" she asked him, her gaze daring him to continue what he had been saying before she walked away.

Sirius grimaced. He deserved that.

"I'm sorry," he said to her quietly, not quite able to meet her gaze. "When people have found out about Remus…well, let's just say he hasn't had the best luck when people have found out. I didn't want him to get hurt. And…" he seemed to struggle with something, as if he were trying to decide if he wanted to say it or not. "I'm just protective of him," he said, and she knew that was not what he had wanted to say.

She studied him for a long moment before she carefully said, "I thought it was curious that Snape knew about Remus when I knew you lot would never tell anyone." Sirius's brow furrowed. "Snape said that you told him…when you were angry."

Sirius's face fell at her words, a visible mask falling, making his expression impassive. She'd figured it would be a sensitive topic to him. She wasn't one to seek revenge, but she still felt a small smugness from upsetting him after the way he had just treated her.

"What else did he tell you?" Sirius asked lowly, taking a step away from her.

She shook her head. "That's all he told me." Her eyes studied him closely, taking in his carefully impassive face, his defensive stance. "It's true," she said softly. "That's why they wouldn't talk to you last fall."

He sighed heavily, his eyes closing briefly. He'd never wanted her to know what he had done to lose the trust of his friends. He hated himself enough for what he had done, but having her know, he was ashamed.

"Ever since it happened," Sirius said to her, his eyes opening again and boring into hers, willing her to understand, "I've wished that I could take it back. That night he said things to me that just made me snap. I didn't like that even he could read my mind. I lost it, and I told him what he wanted to hear in hopes that it would be in my favor. I didn't even realize what the consequences would be."

Her gaze dropped from his, and he swallowed hard. He wondered why he cared about what she thought of him so much, but he hadn't realized how much he did not want her to know about it until this moment. They were completely different people. Where he was quick to anger, she was quick to understand. But even understanding had its limits.

"Sam," he sighed. "It was a terrible thing to do, and I regret it every day. But we've-"

She shook her head to silence him, and his mouth closed with a snap. His gut twisted in anticipation, but she surprised him with a hint of a smile.

"It's in the past, Sirius. Your friends have forgiven you, and it wouldn't be right for me to be upset about something I wasn't even a part of."

Sirius stared at her for a long moment before he nodded and returned her smile.

"Thank you," he said, voice sincere. "That means a lot. Really."

Her smile grew before she glanced around them, seeming to have realized something.

"Where are James and Peter?" she asked him. "It's past curfew now."

"They've gone to spend the night with Remus," Sirius replied. "They'll be back in the morning."

Her brow furrowed. "They've _what_?"

Despite himself, Sirius smiled at the look on her face.

"I'll explain," he said to her, glancing around. "But not here. It's not exactly a conversation we want overheard."

She nodded and followed him as he gave the password to the portrait of the Fat Lady and crawled through the portrait hole. As they passed through the common room, Samantha glanced around, searching for Lily and Amber. Luckily, they did not seem to be around. There wouldn't be any questions from them about why she had gone up to Sirius's room with him.

When they reached the room, Samantha was quick to make herself at home, depositing her backpack on the floor beside James's bed before settling upon the bed, leaning her head back against the headboard, suddenly exhausted from the eventful night. Sirius seated himself on his own bed beside James's, sitting cross-legged facing her.

"What would you like to know?" he asked her when she did not speak.

She turned her head to face him. "Why don't you start at the beginning?" she suggested.

Sirius nodded and gave her a small smile. "Alright," he agreed.

And so he told her.

He told her about how it did not take them too long into their first year for him, James, and Peter to realize that something was off with Remus, though all four of them had become fast friends. Towards the end of their first year, they began doing research and making notes of when Remus appeared sick and when he went home to his sick mother. It did not take them long to put it together and by September, they knew what Remus was.

In October of their second year, after avoiding Remus out of fear of upsetting him unintentionally, they finally mustered the courage to tell him that they knew. He had been terrified, and it had taken a lot of convincing from the three of them to assure him that nothing had changed except that he now had three best friends to support him around the time of the full moon. Once Remus had been convinced, James had announced that they also intended to become Animagi despite the dangers and laws that would be broken.

Remus had been dead set against it, no matter how many times they told him how much better his full moons would go if he had others to entertain him so that he would not take his loneliness out on himself. They weren't quite sure if it was just their persistence or Remus's want of a smoother full moon that finally made him give in and agree to help them, but after their second year Christmas holidays, the Marauders used all of their free time researching how to become Animagi.

If it hadn't been for his losing his temper earlier in the evening and using his dog form to effectively chase off Snape, Sirius may have left out the part about he, James, and Peter being Animagi, but he knew that she deserved to know. They had kept secrets from her long enough.

He informed her that they finally succeeded in becoming Animagi at the beginning of November their fifth year, how he was a dog, James a stag, and Peter a rat. That month, they accompanied Remus for the first time, and for every month since. The exceptions were holidays. They had been unable to think of a way to pull that off as Remus transformed at his home then, under the close watch of his protective parents.

He'd expected her to be surprised when he spoke of them being Animagi. Yes, she had seen him transform earlier that evening, but it had happened quickly, and she hadn't had much time to think the evening over yet. He was not sure if she would have caught on. But he should have known better. She was smart; she had managed to assume that since Sirius was an Animagus, so was James and Peter. The look she gave him was more of amazement. Becoming an Animagus was no easy task, and unheard of for witches or wizards their age.

When Sirius's story ended, Samantha shook her head.

"That's where you lot got those ridiculous nicknames."

Sirius snorted. "Ridiculous," he repeated. "I'll have you know they were my idea."

She let out a soft laugh in response, and for a few moments, silence fell between them.

"Remus is lucky," she told him, breaking the silence, "To have friends like you."

"And like you," Sirius added. "He won't be happy about what's happened tonight. But it'll make it easier on him knowing that nothing will change between the two of you. He needs the boost of trust."

She nodded. "I'd never allow it to change things. Not all werewolves are bad; it's the person that decides if they are decent or not, not the wolf."

Guilt rose in Sirius's throat and he swallowed to try and make it go away. It only made it worse, and he held her gaze.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he said. "I should have never accused you of telling anyone. I know you never would. But I…"

He trailed off, unable to continue, but now, she understood.

"You were afraid of a repeat of last year," she said softly. "That Remus would blame you for tonight." She shook her head. "It's not your fault, Sirius. Snape had no right doing what he did, no matter what made him feel like he had to. He's the one at fault here, for making the wrong choices. If anyone is to blame, it's him."

Sirius's jaw clenched as he nodded.

"And he'll be knowing that soon enough," he ground out. "I'll bet for once, Remus will want in on it, too. We'll need to make sure he's quiet from now on."  
"Just don't do something too awful." At Sirius's astounded look, she continued. "I'm not telling you to not retaliate. I'm just warning you that if you're too terribly hard on him, it may make things worse."

"Alright," Sirius agreed reluctantly. "But he'll be hearing from us."

"Good," she replied. "And sooner rather than later would be nice. He's got my wand."

Sirius's face instantly dropped into a scowl. "How did he get your bloody wand?"

Samantha shrugged, and turned her head to look forward, her gaze across the room and glued on the dark window.

"I tried to hex him," she told him.

"You did what?" he asked her, his eyebrows raising. "You did not try to hex Severus Snape."

She crossed her arms over her chest and shot him an indignant look. "I most certainly did. He was being an arse. Unfortunately, I'm rather lousy at duels. So he disarmed me rather quickly."

Sirius shook his head, giving her a disbelieving look. "I never thought I'd see the day when Samantha Dawson would willingly start a duel with someone, lest of all with a Slytherin. I dare say we're a bad influence on you."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I wouldn't exactly call it willing. I was trying to shut him up."

Sirius's lips tilted into a smirk. "And a wonderful job you did, losing your wand to him and all."

She laughed shortly and nodded her head, and before he knew it, one of James's pillows had smacked him in the head. When he recovered from his shock, he gave her a bewildered look.

"Did you just…?"

She shook her head, attempting to look innocent, but the smile that tugged at the corner of her lips betrayed the fact. Sirius shook his head before he let out a barking laugh. Samantha stared at him as if he was mental before she joined in.

When his laughter died down, Sirius tossed the pillow back to Samantha. "You, Miss Dawson, are something else. I don't want to hear anything else from you when we pick on Snape."

"He deserved it," she informed him. "And I don't think I'll much mind your picking on him anymore anyway. He's a foul boy."

"Something we agree on," said Sirius.

Time passed, and late into the night, Sirius told Samantha stories about some of the antics that Marauders had gotten into while out with Remus on the full moons. It suddenly made sense to her why sometimes all four boys seemed like they had stayed up all night. It was because they had. At some point, Samantha crawled under James's covers, claiming that their room was cold. She lay on her side as their conversation turned to whatever came to mind, ranging from James and Lily getting along better to Sirius asking after her family.

He was in the middle of telling her that he was worried about Regulus because he was nearly the age where his family had spoken of him joining the Death Eaters in the past when he realized that she had fallen asleep. It wasn't a surprise; they had now reached the early hours of the next morning and she had been struggling to keep her eyes open for a while.

He trailed off, and for a long moment, he watched her sleep, the guilt of losing his temper earlier hitting him full force. None of it had been her fault, and he knew her well enough to know that she would never tell Remus's secret or treat him differently for it. But he had been scared that all of this would seem his fault since he had been the one to egg on Snape, and the fear and adrenaline had urged him on until he was unable to stop himself. And despite Samantha's assurances, he was still worried about how Remus would react.

With a heavy sigh, he stood from his bed and approached James's. He pulled the sheets higher to her shoulders, careful to not wake her. He watched her a moment longer before pulling the curtains shut around the bed before retreating back to his. He collapsed onto his mattress, finally admitting to himself how tired he was, and soon, his loud snores filled the room.

* * *

When James and Peter returned to the castle at dawn, James was pleased to see his bed occupied by Samantha. It meant that Sirius had actually listened to him and had managed to patch things up with her. He was exhausted and grumbled something to Peter about getting up in time for their first class before kicking off his shoes and collapsing onto the side of his bed that was not occupied. They only had a few hours to sleep before their first class, and that was only if they skipped breakfast. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

By the time he woke up a few hours later, his eyes still burning from exhaustion, Samantha was gone and Sirius was in the shower. It took a lot of effort to drag himself out of his bed and go to take his own shower. He enjoyed running around with his friends during the full moon, but the days after were always rough to get through. He always told himself to think about how hard the days after had to be on Remus to get himself through.

Though James and Peter were more bleary eyed than normal, they managed to make it through their morning classes, and instead of going to lunch, all three boys marched to the hospital wing to pay a visit to Remus. He'd been awake and looking like he was feeling well enough, so they told him what had happened the previous night.

He'd been worried about what Samantha thought more than anything, but after they'd assured him that it was not going to change anything between them, Remus had allowed the anger at Snape come. He'd ranted so loudly that Madame Pomfrey had come out and lectured James, Sirius, and Peter about disturbing her patients, threatening to kick them out until Remus convinced her that it was nothing that they had done. Once she had left them alone again, they immediately began to come up with ways to get their revenge on Severus Snape that evening, assuming that Remus would be released from the hospital wing by then.

He was.

To say it was an unpleasant experience for Snape would be an understatement. By the time they were through hexing him, he had been nearly unrecognizable. They were not worried about him telling anyone who had put him in such a state. They knew he would take the threats they had spoken to him seriously. Later on in the common room, Sirius had returned Samantha's wand to her, looking pleased with himself. She had only shaken her head at him before asking Remus how he was feeling.

Halloween passed, and the feast involved a rather complex prank pulled by the Marauders that included the use of fifty pumpkin pies that earned them three nights of detention. With their detentions came November, and with the Christmas holidays quickly approaching, their homework load seemed to increase even more as if the professors were trying to make up the time they would lose while the students were home for the holidays.

One evening in mid-November found Samantha seated in an alcove by one of the windows in the common room. It was already dark outside, despite the fact that she had just come from dinner, and the fresh snow that blanketed the ground caused the grounds to have an eerie sort of glow about them. She pulled a letter out of her robes that she had received from her brother at breakfast but had yet to have a chance to read.

She had just pulled the parchment out of the envelope and was in the process of unfolding it when her name was called. She looked up to see Amber approaching her and swung her legs down so that there would be room for the other girl to sit.

"Did you finish your potions essay?" Amber asked as she sat down.

Samantha pulled a face. "I started it," she replied. "But as it's not due until the day after tomorrow, I decided that I'd earned the rest of the evening off."

Amber shot her a grin. "Better than me. I decided that before I even started."

Samantha shook her head. "It's a wonder how you even manage to stay on top of all of your work."

"I excel at procrastination," Amber responded.

"Yes, I know all about your procrastination. Lily told me that she caught you out after hours again last night with some boy from Hufflepuff."

"Speaking of Lily," Amber steered the conversation away from herself, "She seems to be getting along with James a lot better."

"James told me that they talk all the time now when they're on patrol. Lily's even told him personal things such as how her sister is getting married this summer and doesn't want Lily there."

"I'd loath to meet any man who would want to marry that woman."

"He'd have to be rather terrible, wouldn't he?"

Samantha shifted the letter from Adrien in her hands, and it caught Amber's eye.

"What's that?"

"A letter from Adrien," Samantha replied. "I don't hear from him much anymore; he's too busy now that he's mentoring under the Head Auror, Moody. But when he's got something to say, he'll send me a letter."

"Well?" Amber asked when Samantha did not continue. "What does it say?"

Samantha gave her an amused look. "I haven't read it yet."

"What are you waiting for?" the blonde girl urged her.

With a sigh, Samantha glanced down at the letter. She did not take the time to read it thoroughly, preferring to do that alone, but she skimmed it to see what it was he wanted. When she found it, she looked up at Amber with wide eyes.

"He's proposed to Nichole," she said in surprise.

"And?" Amber's voice was impatient.

"Well, she said yes of course," Samantha replied. "They're to get married in June, at the end so I'll be home from school. He says mum's beside herself and that she and my aunt are already planning." She skimmed over the rest of the letter. "He's also apologized for not waiting to tell me in person, but they've just bought a house and are going to move in to it the week before Christmas and he didn't want to throw that at me."

"I'm so glad they're getting married," Amber gushed. "I always thought they were perfect for each other. But he's moving out soon. How do you feel about that?"

Samantha shrugged. "It'll take some getting used to. He's always been around. But I knew it would come sooner or later, with Nichole or not." Her face broke into a grin. "I can't believe he's getting married."

"It's an odd thought isn't it? Your brother getting married."

"Very odd," Samantha agreed. "But I'm excited. I can't wait for Christmas break so I can help Nichole plan." Samantha glanced down at the letter in her hands and sighed. "I suppose I ought to bother myself to reply to this one."

She stood from the window sill and Amber followed suit.

"I've got plans with that Hufflepuff boy again tonight," she said as she followed Samantha up the stairs to their room. "I need to start getting ready."

"Is this the same boy Lily found you with last night?"

"Of course."

"What's his name?"

Amber was silent for a long moment before she said, "I can't remember."

Samantha snorted, and soon both girls were laughing, earning themselves a glare from Morgan when they entered the room. In response, they only laughed harder.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**I meant to have this up earlier today, but it took me forever to get through the proof reading and editing, mostly because I've been busy. I'm in the middle of finals and on top of that, packing up to move back home, so things have been really hectic, especially the past few days. Hopefully I'll pick up on updates again over the Christmas break, but no promises. As always, a huge thanks to those of you that reviewed. I love to hear your feedback.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Did you hear about Sam's brother?" Lily asked softly, breaking a silence that had been, in her opinion, quite long enough.

From where he was walking beside her, strangely quiet, James glanced over at her and grinned. "I sure did. I can't believe Adrien's getting married. I'm never going to let him hear the end of it."

One of Lily's eyebrows rose. "Is there something wrong with marriage, James?"

"No, no," he replied quickly, waving his hands in the air. "But when we were younger, Adrien used to say that he'd never fall in love with some stupid girl." A smile spread across his lips. "But I suppose we all grow up, don't we?"

Lily stared at him for a long moment before saying slowly, "Yes, I suppose we do."  
They were patrolling the corridors, checking for students out of their common room after hours. It was the first patrol they had done together in weeks. Between all of their homework and the fact that quidditch season was in full swing (James had led the Gryffindor team to victory against Hufflepuff just a few days ago), they were finding it hard to schedule patrols together. Lily had taken to patrolling with Remus on days that James was unable to attend.

"So, how are you handling everything?" Lily asked him, breaking yet another silence that had fallen around them. So far, there had been no students out after curfew, and they'd fallen into the pattern of walking through the corridors silently. They were heading back to the common room now, having given up on finding anyone stowed away in a broom cupboard.

"Handling everything?" James repeated, squinting down at her in confusion. Lily shook her head and glanced back ahead, realizing she was staring at him.

"You know, all of your responsibilities," she clarified for him. "You have your Head Boy duties, you're captain of the quidditch team, and on top of that, all of the homework the professors have been giving us. It's a lot for one person."

James shrugged and an unconcerned smile played across his lips. "I can handle it. I just have to carefully balance everything out, push less important things back on my to-do list."

Lily gave him a small smile. "Such as pranking?"

Shrugging again, he brought his hand to the back of his head to ruffle his hair. "I do it when I can, but for the most part I only have time to give the others my opinion on whatever they're planning and let them do the deed without me. But it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make…" his hazel eyes turned towards her as he stopped walking. She met his gaze, and his eyes seemed to bore into her. "To spend more time with you."

Lily seemed taken aback at this response and a light coloring of red rose in her cheeks. "James…" she said softly.

"I know I've said this a thousand times," James continued, "But I've never just told _you_."

Lily smiled at him as her blush deepened. "I never thought that I'd say this, but I've really been enjoying spending time with you, James." Her gaze moved downward as she fidgeted slightly.

James's breath hitched in his throat and he dared to hope that maybe, just maybe this time, it would work.

"Lily," his voice was suddenly serious, and he could not bring himself to meet her gaze. "Slughorn's having a Christmas party this year, and I know he expects us both to be there. I was wondering…I was wondering if maybe you would do me the honor of accompanying me."

For a long moment, all Lily could do was stare at him. He had not asked her on a date since returning to Hogwarts in September, and she had thought that he had given up. But instead of the dread she had once expected, hope bubbled in her stomach.

"James," she said softly, and his eyes hesitantly met her gaze. "I'd love to go to the Christmas party with you."

James sighed heavily and shook his head at her reply. "It's alright," he said quietly. "I understand. It was a long shot. I suppose we should get back to the common room then."

Lily frowned at his dejected look as he turned and began to head down the corridor. She recovered quickly and followed after him, grabbing hold of his hand to stop him. He paused his steps and turned to look at her hesitantly. She shook her head at him and smiled gently.

"I said that I'd love to go to the party with you, James," she said to him again.

He stared at her disbelieving for a long moment, allowing her words to sink in.

"You said yes?"

Her smile grew larger. "Yes."

For the remainder of their walk, James was unable to wipe the grin off of his face. They walked in a comfortable silence until James broke it when they paused outside the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Was what I said cheesy?" he asked her.

"Maybe just a little," Lily replied, her own smile still upon her face. "But it was sweet and I knew it was true, so cheesy is okay."

James took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips, planting a soft kiss upon her knuckles before releasing her hand and giving the password to the portrait.

"Good night, Evans," he said to her before ducking into the common room.

Lily lingered for a moment longer, her hand tingling where he had kissed her.

James did not pause in the common room, but marched straight up to the seventh year boys' dormitory. He found Sirius right where he expected to, seated upon his bed and surrounded by school work. James did not say anything, only headed for Sirius and seated himself on the foot of the bed. After a moment, Sirius slowly lifted his gaze up to look at James, an odd look upon his face.

"Is there something I can help you with, Prongs?"

"Guess what just happened," James said, ignoring Sirius's question. "I'll bet you'll never guess."

Sirius's quizzical look deepened. "Why don't you just enlighten me and save us both some time?" he suggested impatiently.

"Fine, fine," James relented. "I was just on patrol with Evans. And I asked her to go with me to Slughorn's Christmas party."

"And?" Sirius prodded, eyebrows raised.

"She said yes!" James shouted excitedly, his eyes dancing behind his glasses.

Sirius's eyebrows rose even more. "I honestly never thought I'd see the day." A grin spread across his face. "Congratulations, Prongs. Maybe you're not as mental as we thought."

James scoffed. "I told you lot that you shouldn't doubt me. It was only a matter of time before she fell for me."

The other boy rolled his eyes. "It's just one date. It's not as if she's agreed to marry you."

James's eyes gleamed. "Yet."

Sirius shook his head, but did not argue. Lily Evans had agreed to go on a date with him after all, something Sirius, Remus, and Peter had told him would never happen. Who was to say that they wouldn't get married one day?

"What about Sam?" Sirius questioned. "I thought the two of you had agreed to go together."

James's face fell and he cursed. "I forgot," he muttered. "She'll be happy for me, but she'll also never let me hear the end of it, abandoning her at Slughorn's party."

"That's the consequence of asking Evans on a date and having her actually say yes," Sirius informed him before dropping his gaze back to his homework. It did not take him long for him to feel James's gaze burning the top of his head, and almost reluctantly, he lifted his gaze back up.

"Have I got grey hairs or something?" he asked, running a hand through his hair, knowing for a face that he did not have a single one.

James ignored the snide question. "You could take her," he said instead.

Sirius frowned deeply. "Not that I'm not flattered, but wouldn't it be odd, me taking Lily to the party when she's finally agreed to go on a date with you?"

James rolled his eyes. "Not Lily. _Sam_."

Sirius stared at him for a long moment before he dropped his gaze once again. "You're mental."

"Oh, come on," James whined. "The two of you dated. Surely you can handle one night on a date. As just friends, I feel the need to add."

"Right. Dated, Prongs. As in the past tense." Sirius glanced up. "As in no longer are together. And it's like that for a reason."

"Is there a reason?" James challenged.

"Don't you start that again," Sirius snapped.

"And why not? You've still got feelings for her."  
"I have not," Sirius protested.

For a long moment, James gave him a flat look. Sirius narrowed his eyes.

"I don't."

James still did not look like he believed him, but Sirius gave up arguing with him. When James got an idea in his head, there was no changing it.

"Well," James eventually said. "Whether you've got feelings or not, there's no reason why you can't ask her to go as friends."

Sirius was quick to say, "I've got two very good reasons. One, as you are very well aware, I avoid Slughorn's little get togethers like the plague. And two, even if I did agree, she'd never say yes."

James shrugged. "You won't know until you ask."

Sirius pinned James with a glare. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you'd planned this."

"Then it's a good thing you know better. But it doesn't mean that you can't go along with it."

For a long moment, Sirius only stared at him. Eventually, he sighed heavily. "If I agree, will you shut up?"

A delighted grin spread across James's face. "Really?" he asked, having not expected Sirius to give in.

"But only if she agrees," Sirius told him. "I'm only going to give her a chance to say yes or no."

"And she'll say yes, of course."

Sirius shook his head and moved his gaze back down to his homework. "We'll see."

James leaned closer to him, his hazel eyes dancing. "Lily Evans said yes to me today."

Sirius felt his bed shift as James stood and strode from the room, leaving him in peace once more. But he did not feel at peace. His stomach was beginning to knot and it only grew worse the more he wondered why he always allowed James to talk him into these things.

* * *

"Hold still," Amber admonished, pausing her work to grab hold of Samantha's shoulders and hold her steady. "Stop squirming."

Samantha glared at Amber's reflection in the mirror before her. "Maybe if you weren't taking so long, I'd had been more inclined to sit still. I don't even see why you feel the need to bother."

"Oh, stop complaining. You've got to look your best. Sirius asked you on a date. You've got to make him regret breaking up with you."

"I broke up with him," Samantha reminded her. "And we're only going to the party as friends, remember?"

Amber sighed as she ran the tip of her wand down a small strand of Samantha's normally wavy hair, causing it to become perfectly straight. "You may be going to the party as friends, but there's no telling what you'll leave as."

Samantha pulled a face. "Why aren't you putting your efforts into Lily?" she asked, glancing over at the red-head who was applying a small amount of make-up in front of another mirror. "She's going on a real date."

"Because," Amber sniffed in response, "Lily could show up to the party dressed up as a house elf and James Potter would still worship her."

"I think 'worship' is a bit strong." At the flat looks she received, Lily sighed. "Alright, perhaps he does," she relented. "But either way, I'm most certainly not showing up dressed as a house elf."

Twenty minutes later, and five more times of Amber telling Samantha to hold still, her hair was done. Amber finished off her work by pinning back some of her hair with a silver-jeweled clip that would match Samantha's dress robes. Amber could not stop telling her how nice her hair looked straightened, not to mention the length it added to the already long hair, and though she still thought it was too much, Samantha had to agree that it looked nice.

They took turns putting on their dress robes. Lily put hers on first, and when she emerged from the bathroom, Amber and Samantha exclaimed about how beautiful she looked. Giving them a small smile and tugging at her robes a bit, she asked if she really did. She hadn't dressed up much, especially in the wizarding world, and she was a tad bit uncomfortable in her robes, but they assured her that she looked wonderful.

Her robes were lavender, made out of a sleek material that hugged her body in just the right places. Two skinny straps held the robes up by her shoulders, and the skirt fell to just past her knees. She had curled her red hair lightly and had piled it into a loose bun, allowing a few loose strands to frame her face.

"Just wait," Samantha said to her. "James's eyes are going to bug out of his head when he sees you."

At their urging, Samantha moved into the bathroom to slip into her own robes. She took her time slipping into the light pink material. Her robes where strapless and fitted at the top before opening into a flowing skirt, silver jewels lining the material where the bodice ended and the skirt began. Unlike Lily's shorter robes, hers reached to the ground. It was one of her favorite pairs of dress robes, and it had been awhile since she had worn them. Since Voldemort's increase in power over the past few years, the fancy get togethers she had grown up going to had dwindled down to nearly nothing. It felt nice to be dressed up.

She'd been surprised when Sirius had approached her about going to the party as, he'd emphasized, just friends. It had been obvious when he'd explained why he was asking that James had had to practically twist his arm to get him to agree. Not that she blamed him. She would have been the same way. But between his explanation and the way James was staring at them intently across the room, she hadn't been able to bring herself to say no. This way, at least, she'd have someone to talk to.

Ignoring how nervous she had become at the thought of going on a date with Sirius, even if it was just as friends, she stepped out of the bathroom and allowed Lily and Amber to fuss over her as she and Amber had done to Lily.

Amber was busy making last minute adjustments to what she claimed to be her masterpieces when Morgan stepped into the room. When she caught sight of the three girls, she sneered.

"Look at us, all dressed up to go to our little party."

"You're just jealous because you weren't invited," Amber snapped. "Slughorn doesn't find you have enough potential to bother with."

"In case you didn't notice, you weren't invited either."

"I was, actually," Amber replied, glancing at Lily, who had been the one who had asked her to come. "But it's not really my thing. I've got more exciting plans tonight."

"I'm sure you do," Morgan sniffed, giving Amber one final condescending look before turning to her trunk.

The three girls moved towards the door. Just as they had reached it, Morgan called out, "I thought you'd learned your lesson about boys like Sirius Black. And I do hope you don't plan on winning him back wearing that. He tends to like girls dress a little…scantier."

Clenching her jaw, Samantha turned back around. "He asked me to go with him," she hissed through her teeth. "And I'm not hoping to win back anything. We're only going as friends. But I wouldn't expect you to know about that."

Before Morgan could retort, they moved out of the room, Amber whispering, "Well done," as they began to descend the stairs.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Sirius muttered, fidgeting in his dress robes as he and James stood waiting in the common room. James had lost count of how many times he had said the very same thing over the course of the day.

"Is the thought of spending the evening with Samantha really so terrible?" James asked, glancing sharply at him.

"No," Sirius replied, tugging at his tie. "The thought of the party itself is so terrible. And these robes," he fidgeted again. "I hate dress robes."

James hid a smile. "I hadn't noticed."

"Stuff it."

"You've grown up having to wear them at parties. I'd think you'd be used to them by now."

Sirius snorted. "And I suppose that means you're completely comfortable in them?"

James shrugged. "They don't bother me much. Not that I'm thrilled to be going to Slughorn's party."

Sirius gave him sideways look. "Yes you are. Because you're taking Evans."

James grinned broadly. "I know. I still can't believe it, mate."

"Neither can I," Sirius replied. "Maybe she'll realize that she made a mistake and back out at the last moment," he teased, shooting a smirk James's way. The other boy did not see that he had heard him, however. His eyes were glued across the room.

Sirius followed James's gaze to see that Lily had descended the stairs and entered the common room. He had to admit that she looked lovely, but he nudged James and told him that he was drooling a bit. James shot him a glare before wiping his mouth with his sleeve and moving to meet Lily, gushing at her about how beautiful she looked.

Sirius followed behind James, his hands shoved in his pockets. Samantha stepped off of the staircase behind Lily, and he found his steps faltering. He had never seen her dressed so beautifully before. They'd both grown up going fancy get-togethers and parties, but their families had moved in two very different circles. His family never associated with anyone deemed to be a blood-traitor. Though both pure of blood, their paths had never even crossed until he had sat in the compartment that she had been sharing with James on their first train ride to Hogwarts.

Suddenly aware that he was staring, he made himself step forward, hoping no one had noticed. She smiled when she caught sight of him, and eyed him.

"You clean up nicely," she informed him, nodding her approval.

He chuckled before saying, "So do you."

James had begun to pull Lily out of the common room, exclaiming about them being late. Normally, he would not have cared, but any time spent with Lily was valuable. He called at Sirius to hurry up as they disappeared through the portrait hole.

Rolling his eyes, Sirius said, "I suppose we ought to get going."

Samantha nodded and after she glanced back at Amber, who gave her an encouraging smile, she followed Sirius out of the common room. They did not hurry to catch up with James and Lily, who had turned a corner and disappeared right when they had emerged into the corridor, but not before they noticed that they were holding hands.

As they began to make their way down the corridor, Sirius kept glancing at Samantha out of the corner of his eye. He wanted to offer her his arm, as he would if it was any other sort of date. But this was not just any date. They had made the boundary of friends, and he was not sure what would be crossing the line and what wouldn't be. With any other girl, he would not be worried. But this was Samantha, the one girl he had ever cared for enough to have an actual relationship with. He was hesitant to admit that he still had feelings for her, even to himself, but in moments such as this, it was all that he was aware of.

Deciding that it would be the gentlemanly thing to do, he hesitantly offered her his arm. She looked surprised at first, but then she smiled and slipped her arm through his. Grinning to himself, he tightened his arm around hers.

"You do realize that you owe me for this, right?" he asked her as they made their way towards where Slughorn was hosting his party. "I've avoided Slughorn's little get togethers ever since we first started at Hogwarts, no matter how hard he tried to get me to come."

She gave him a sideways look. "I believe it's James that owes you," she told him. "It was his idea, remember? I just went along with it."

"Why?" he asked. "I've wondered ever since you agreed so easily. I thought you would be wary of a date with me."

"I was," she admitted. "I am. But…" she turned to look at him, a smile upon her face. "I didn't really fancy having to go to Slughorn's parties alone. I've always resented Adrien for getting me mixed up in his little parties."

"I can't blame you. If I survive this night, James is going to owe me."

Neither one wanted to admit that they were disappointed when they could finally hear the music from the party. They had been enjoying their walk through the castle, and the noise of the party seemed undesirable when compared to their walk.

Sirius stopped suddenly, pulling Samantha to a halt as well, and she gave him a quizzical look.

"What's wrong?"

Sirius's grey eyes were dancing as he glanced first at the party at the end of the corridor, and then back at her.

"Let's skip the party."

Her eyes filled with surprise. She glanced down the corridor from where loud chatter and music drifted towards them. A group of students dressed in their own dress robes shuffled past them.

"We can't skip," Samantha told him. "I promised Slughorn that I'd be there."

Sirius shrugged. "Tell him you were ill. We're going home in the morning; he won't ever know. He'll probably have forgotten that you didn't come by the time Christmas is over." When she cast another uncertain look towards the party, he leaned down so that his eyes were level with hers. "I know you don't want to go."

Slowly, a smile spread across her face until she was grinning. At her nod, he returned her grin and grabbed hold of her hand, pulling her back down the corridor. They went around corners and up several different flights of stairs, putting plenty of distance between themselves and the partygoers. They stopped not too far from Gryffindor Tower so that when they decided to head back to the common room, they would not have far to go.

Still smiling and slightly breathless, Samantha settled herself down on a windowsill, the moon, half full, casting an odd glow upon the grounds below. She was mindful of her dress, and though pleased at the thought of not having to go through with the party after all, she wished she could have skipped it in more comfortable clothing. Sirius was obviously thinking the same thing; as he sat down opposite her, he tugged at his tie, loosening it considerably. Following his lead, she leaned down and slipped off her uncomfortable shoes, drawing her now free feet up onto the sill, leaning her back against the wall and relaxing with a sigh.

"This may be your best idea yet," she told him. "I've been dreading that party all week."

He nodded. "And we'll get away with it, too, as long as James and Lily don't notice."

She smiled softly. "They'll be too wrapped up in each other to notice. I'll bet they spend the whole night dancing."

Sirius snorted. "I still can't believe she finally agreed to a date with him."

"I knew it was only a matter of time. I could tell she was starting to wear down."

Her gaze moved to the grounds below. He wasn't quite sure, but by the far off look in her eyes, he thought she might be thinking of her family. He knew she was looking forward to the morning, when they would board the Hogwarts Express to go home for the Christmas holidays. He had to admit that he was looking forward to it as well. It would be the first Christmas holiday that he hadn't spent at Hogwarts since he'd moved in with the Potters. He looked forward to spending Christmas with them, with the exception of the Christmas party Mrs. Potter was planning – it did not matter who was hosting the party, he still disliked them. According to James, this was the first party his parents had thrown or attended in several years, but his mother had decided that they were long overdue a night in which they could forget about the war. James had told him several members of the Order would be in attendance.

"You look beautiful tonight," he said to break the silence, causing her to turn and look at him in surprise. "I don't think I told you that earlier."

"Thank you," she said, a hand coming up to toy with the ends of her hair. "It's a shame, really. Amber went through all this work for me to spend the night sitting in the corridor. She'll kill me when she finds out."

"Then we shouldn't tell her," Sirius replied with a sly grin.

When her eyes got the far off look again, he frowned.

"Are you alright?" he asked her. She lifted her gaze to meet his. "You'll be with them tomorrow."

A smile tugged at her lips. "I forget that you can tell when I'm thinking about my family," she said softly. At his expectant look, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders, her hands playing with the skirt of her robes. "I got a letter from my father the other day. It was a normal enough letter, but I dunno. He repeated questions that I'd answered in my last letter. It seemed like he was worried about something, preoccupied."

Sirius furrowed his brow. "I'm sure it's nothing," he assured her. "He's probably just busy with work. I wouldn't worry about it too much."

She smiled slightly, nodded, and promptly changed the subject to the homework they had been assigned for over the break. He allowed the subject change, and told her that they ought to have a day where they got together and spent the entire day knocking out their homework. They'd been assigned a manageable amount; the teachers weren't heartless enough to assign them a never-ending mountain of it for their Christmas holiday. Mostly because they knew it would never get done. But they'd still assigned enough to make their students groan in frustration.

They lost track of how long they sat there talking. Later, they would not even be able to recall what they had talked about. They were enjoying this rare moment together, out of the watchful eyes of their friends, their gazes alone screaming that the two of them should stop being daft and get back together. It was nice, being away from that sort of pressure, having no one expecting anything of them. Sirius did not know about her, but he wished the moment could continue a lot longer than it would be able to. It was too rare a moment to have it be so short.

He had just finished telling her about how the full moon fell on Christmas this year and that because of this, Remus would not be able to attend the Potters' Christmas party when he noticed her shiver slightly. As she shook her head sadly, he slid closer to her, his leg brushing against hers. He slipped out of his outermost robe and pulled it around her shoulders.

"Here," he said softly. "You look chilled."

She glanced up to meet his gaze, and only then did he notice how close they were. Her breath tickled his skin, causing his breath to hitch. Her blue eyes were so close to his that he could see into their depths. He'd missed being this close to her, but he did not know how much he had missed it until this moment.

Something nearly forgotten but so very familiar moved around them, and nearly unbidden, he found himself tilting his head down towards hers. She hesitated only the briefest of moments before she tilted her head up, her eyes fluttering closed. He could nearly feel her lips upon his when-

"Oy! There you are!"

They jumped apart as if they had been shocked. Samantha ducked her head, her face burning, as James and Lily, his arm wrapped around her waist, approached them. James appeared drunk with happiness, and Sirius had half a mind to hex him right then and there. Except, somehow, James did not seem to notice what he had interrupted. Lily on the other hand, was watching them with an odd look upon her face, and he glanced at Samantha, whose gaze was still downcast, wondering if Lily knew what they had nearly done.

"Did you even come to the party at all?" James questioned, his eyes narrowed at Sirius. "I didn't see you once."

Sirius struggled with a response, but was rescued by Samantha, who had recovered from the surprise, her face nearly normal colored again.

"We were heading towards the party when I began to feel ill," she explained, glancing between James and Lily. "Sirius suggested we sit down, and I suppose we just lost track of time."

Still looking suspicious, Lily asked, "Are you feeling alright now?"

Samantha shrugged. "A bit, yes. I suppose now I'm just rather tired."

Lily smiled. "We've got six hours before we've got to be on the train. I suppose we should head up to bed."

Sirius nodded. "You two go on ahead," he said, waving them off. "We're right behind you."

James began to lead Lily towards the common room without question, and once Lily had glanced over her shoulder at them, she allowed him to lead her away, leaving Sirius and Samantha alone once more.

Sirius watched her as she bent down to slip back into her shoes.

"Should we," he asked hesitantly, "Talk about what just happened."

She straightened back up and met his gaze. "I don't think I'm ready to," she admitted quietly. "I'm still not entirely sure what that was."

He nodded. "Later, then? After break perhaps?"

She smiled and gave him a small nod, standing from the windowsill. "Perhaps."

The common room was deserted when they reached it, and he walked her to the foot of the stairs that led to the girls' dormitories.

"I'll see you on the train tomorrow, then?" he asked her.

She reached out and squeezed his hand. "See you tomorrow. And thank you for tonight. It was wonderful," she whispered before turning and ascending the stairs.

He watched her go until she disappeared into the dark. When he reached his room, he smacked James, who had collapsed on his bed without bother to shut his curtains, on the head with a pillow, earning himself a muffled, "What was that for?". Not bothering to answer, Sirius changed into his pajamas before falling into his own bed. He knew one thing for certain. Despite his carefulness at the beginning of the night, he had ended up crossing the line anyway. But so had she. And neither one of them seemed to regret it.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**Happy Holidays!**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Twenty Six

By nine the next morning, the Hogwarts Express was speeding through the countryside, London bound. Samantha and Lily found themselves sharing a compartment with the Marauders, Lily seated beside James. When Sirius saw just how close she was seated to him, he grinning and threw Samantha a wink. She laughed in return, and said "Nothing" when Lily asked what was so funny. Amber moved between their compartment and one further down the train. Lily told Samantha that she had seen the Hufflepuff boy Amber had been spending time with lately in the compartment.

The train ride seemed to go by fast even though by the time they pulled into Kings Cross station, it was dark. Sirius levitated both his and Samantha's trunk off of the train, and when they were on the platform, she thanked him with a smile.

His eyes briefly flickered to glance over her shoulder. "Someone's waiting for you."

She turned to find her brother watching them with a hard expression on his face. With a sigh, she turned back to Sirius with a roll of her eyes. "I suppose I ought to go. I'll see you at the party?"

He nodded and watched her move to greet her brother, giving him a tight hug. Turning, he searched out the Potters, finding them quickly enough thanks to Lily's red hair. Mr. Potter was currently shaking Lily's father's hand. The Potters spoke to Lily's family for a few minutes longer before they departed, heading home.

The Christmas holidays were just what the students needed to relax and have a much needed break from school.

Amber was spending her entire break with her family in Italy. Lily dreaded going home, where she knew a lot of the time would be spent planning her sister's wedding. But she had agreed to go to the Potter Christmas party as James's date, so she had something to look forward to. Only a few days into the break, Remus began to feel the effects of the full moon. Unlike when he was at school, at home he was able to spend his days lounging around with his mother and father. Peter's father owned and ran a wizarding novelty shop in Liverpool and, with Christmas being their busiest time of year, Peter was spending his days helping his father.

James and Sirius were not having a particularly exciting holiday, but they weren't complaining. A few days, they braved the biting wind and snow to play quidditch, but it had only been a couple of hours until they went back inside, their cheeks stinging from the cold. They found ways to entertain themselves around the house when Grace Potter was not enlisting their help to prepare for the party. On one day, two days before Christmas, Peter, Remus, Lily, and Samantha all gathered at the Potter home to help Sirius and James decorate. They spent the day hanging garlands and decorating the huge Christmas tree that was in the sitting room. At one point, James was able to trick Lily under some mistletoe, and after a bit of coaxing, she gave him a quick peck, her cheeks flaming. After, James attempted to do the same to Sirius and Samantha, but after Sirius hexed him with a few well-aimed stinging spells, James admitted defeat. Remus was not feeling well enough to be on his feet for the majority of the time, so he spent most of the day seated on the couch, laughing and taking photographs of the antics of those around him. By the end, they all declared it the perfect day.

Samantha had been spending the days of her break either in the library or just talking with her mother and aunt. Her father still would not allow her to leave the house unless she was going over to the Potters, so she had had to be creative when it came to acquiring Christmas gifts. It had been easy enough save for the present she had planned for Sirius. She'd ended up enlisting Peter's help for that one.

Christmas Eve in the Dawson home could only be labeled as chaotic.

Brennan and Christopher had taken the day off and had insisted that they cook dinner. Since there was a party to attend on Christmas, they were having their Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve this year. Elizabeth had instantly looked panicked at the thought, but Tabitha had jumped at the idea before she had a chance to say no. Since Samantha's father and uncle had started cooking two hours before, there had been an awful racket coming from the kitchen and it seemed that nearly everything they touched made a mess. Samantha was looking forward to when Adrien would show up. He was bound to want to be involved, and then it would become a disaster.

"I heard something interesting from Grace yesterday," Tabitha said to Samantha.

They were seated at the kitchen table. Samantha was peeling potatoes and Tabitha was chopping various vegetables. Christopher and Brennan were leaning over the counters and stove, attempting to cook dinner. Elizabeth hovered around them, keeping an especially close eye on the turkey cooking in the oven. They had tried to get her to sit down and relax, but she always got right back up, not wanting Christmas dinner to be ruined.

Samantha glanced at her aunt. "Oh?"

Tabitha leaned closer to her, a grin on her face. "She told me that you went to a party with a certain someone."

Sighing, Samantha shook her head. "Only because James abandoned me at the last moment. We went as just friends."

"And how was the party?"

"We didn't quite make it," Samantha admitted. At her aunt's raised eyebrows, she added, "We decided to skip and ended up talking all night instead."

"So the two of you still like each other then."

Samantha attempted to stammer out a response, but her aunt silenced her with a shake of her head.

"I had a feeling you did."

"You did?" Samantha asked with a furrowed brow.

Tabitha smiled. "You and Sirius remind me of your uncle and I."

Surprise crossed through her eyes. "Really?"

Her aunt nodded. "He was two years ahead of your mother and I at Hogwarts, the same year as your father. I was best friends with your mother, and as you know, she dated your father for her last three years at Hogwarts. Your uncle, on the other hand, despite being best friends with his younger sister, I never really met until after school. He wasn't around much. He was quite the lady's man and he spent much of his time with the various girls that would fawn over him. Sound familiar?"

Samantha gave her a small smile and nodded. It sounded very familiar. "So how did the two of you finally meet then?"

"Well," her aunt replied, "He didn't have as much time for a social life once he began Auror training after Hogwarts. I saw him from time to time over breaks whenever I was at your mother's house. He spoke with me whenever we were both around, and he was just so charming. I couldn't help it; I was young and developed a bit of a liking to him. I hid it though, and didn't tell anyone, not even your mother, though if you ask him now, he'd tell you that he knew, but I don't believe him."

Samantha smiled widely at that. It sounded just like her uncle.

"As you know, your parents got married as soon as your mother left Hogwarts. Their wedding is when your uncle stopped talking to me to just be polite and talked to me because he wanted to. We actually spent the entire party that followed the ceremony talking. By the end of the night, he'd asked me to dinner. And, well," she gestured across the kitchen at Christopher, "here we are today."

"And the thing you want me to take away from this story is?" Samantha questioned with a glance towards her uncle.

Tabitha laughed softly. "That you shouldn't hide your feelings just because the boy you like has a reputation of moving between girls. Or had. I'm certain the only reason he's gone back to it is because he can't have you." Her aunt smiled, and covered Samantha's hand with her own. "People change. They grow up, realize what it is they want. If there's something between you, you shouldn't try and hold it back and pretend it isn't there. You should give it a chance."

With a nod, Samantha dropped her gaze to the table. She picked up another potato to peel, although she'd already peeled plenty for their meal.

"I've always wondered," she said softly. "Why didn't the two of you have children?" She glanced at Tabitha and quickly added, "You don't have to answer, of course. I'm just curious."

Her aunt shook her head and smiled. "No, no. It's alright. By the time we finally got married, the war had already begun. We decided we didn't want to raise children in the middle of a war and that we should wait. We're still plenty young, but between the two of us, we've been discussing giving it a shot soon. There's not much of an end in sight to this war, and we don't want to miss the opportunity to start a family. I think we've reached the point where we're willing to take a chance."

"I think it would be worth the risk."

"I agree. But if we decide it's not worth it, we've still got you and Adrien and your mother and father. And that's plenty for us."

"Hey," Christopher suddenly said loudly, moving over to the table. "Are the two of you done yet? You're holding up Christmas dinner."

Tabitha's eyes narrowed and she picked up a slice of onion, throwing it at him, grinning at the indignant look she received when it smacked him in the face.

"We're finished now, dear," she replied.

Christopher glared at her, but as he took the chopped vegetables, he bent down and gave her a quick kiss.

They sat down to dinner after Adrien and Nichole arrived. Elizabeth had to admit that Brennan and Christopher had done an excellent job at cooking the meal and that she'd enjoyed the night off from having to cook herself. Luckily, the two of them agreed when she offered to allow them to cook Christmas dinner the next year.

A good portion of the dinner was spent talking of wedding plans. With only six months to plan the wedding, Samantha had expected Nichole to be stressed out with the planning, but they'd decided on a simple wedding. Neither one of them had much family, so they'd agreed to invite a few close friends and keep it a small ceremony. Despite this, Elizabeth and Tabitha both seemed to have big plans, discussing what type and color the flowers would be and what the cake should look like. Nichole allowed them to take the planning out of her hands. She did not have a mother to help her plan, and she loved that they were so eager to take on the job.

After dinner, they took dessert and tea in the sitting room and had long, lighthearted discussions on whatever came to mind. This year, their Christmas went uninterrupted, and when they went to bed late that night, the house was peaceful.

* * *

The morning of Christmas dawned bright and crisp with a fresh layer of snow on the ground. The Dawson family rose late that day, enjoying a rare morning of peace. After they had risen, they had a late morning brunch before gathering in the sitting room and exchanging gifts.

By mid-afternoon, Samantha was up in her room, going through her closet, trying to pick out which set of dress robes she would wear that night to the Potters' Christmas party. She'd managed to narrow it down to two pairs and was trying to choose between the two when a knock sounded on her door.

Samantha glanced over her shoulder as her father stepped into the room, looking as if he had just gotten out of the shower. His brown, shoulder-length hair was damp and hung loose instead of tied back in its usual pony tail.

"Can I come in for a moment, Sweetheart?" he asked as Samantha turned back to her robes, chewing her bottom lip.

"Of course," she replied. "I'm just trying to figure out what to wear tonight."

"A terribly difficult decision, I'm sure."

Brennan moved to stand beside her, studying the two pairs of robes that she had narrowed it down to.

"The red ones," he told her after a moment. "They look wonderful on you and perhaps it'll catch a young man's eye."

"Dad," she mumbled as color rose to her cheeks.

Brennan chuckled as he sat down on her bed, pulling a small package out of the pockets of his robes. "I didn't come up here to pick on you," he assured her. "I just came up here to give you this."

Samantha studied the package as she moved to sit beside her father. They'd already exchanged gifts and she wondered why he had chosen to give it to her now.

"I had this specially made for you," he told her, handing her the package. "I wanted to give it to you in private."

Samantha smiled softly as she slowly opened the package, unwrapping the paper to reveal a box.

"Wow," she breathed as she lifted the lid. It was a silver locket in the shape of a heart. . The face of the locket had small silver beading in a design of a flower just in the center and swirls surrounding it.

"Open it," Brennan urged her, smiling at the look on her face.

Placing the box on the bed, she removed the locket. Gently, she opened it. Inside, scripted in elegant letters were the words, 'With you. Always.' In the right side of the locket.

"It's beautiful," she said, looking up at her father. "I love it."

"Think of it as a gift from your mother and I."

"I'll wear it every day," she told him. "It'll go well with my robes tonight."

With a smile, Brennan wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"I'll let you finish getting ready. We're going to leave in a few hours."

"I'll be ready," she promised him before he left the room.

She spent a few minutes studying the locket before she put it back in the box. Standing, she moved to her mirror and ran her fingers through her hair, debating how she should wear it for the night.

Her door opened again and she turned as Adrien walked in.

"Hey," he said. "I just wanted to let you know that Nichole and I were leaving."

They were going to spend the remainder of the afternoon with Nichole's father before the party that night.

"What's this?" he asked, the box on her bed catching his eye.

"Oh, dad just gave that to me."

"It's nice," he said, studying it for a moment before putting it down. "I've got to run, but I'll see you tonight." He moved to give her a quick hug. "Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas," she replied.

When he was gone, she turned back to the robes she was going to wear for the night, tugging at them to study them better. She was looking forward to spending the night celebrating the holiday with her friends and family. It had been a long time since they had thrown a party and the night would be a welcome change.

* * *

James pounced as soon as she had walked through the front door with her family.

"Have you heard from Lily?" he asked her, practically pulling her cloak off of her before dragging her into the sitting room. They'd arrived a few minutes early because Elizabeth had wanted to see if Grace needed any last-minute help and none of the other party goers had arrived yet. "Is she still planning on coming? She said that she would come as my date but that was a week ago. You look lovely, by the way. Do you think she's going to come?"

Samantha rolled her eyes. "Honestly, James. Calm down. She's going to come; don't worry."

"He won't listen." She turned as Sirius strode into the room, adjusting the sleeves of his robes. "I've been trying to calm him down all day. The only thing that he'll believe is Lily walking through that door. Which she will," he ended with meaningful look at James.

James's reply was a glare. The front door opened and he jumped, rushing away to see who it was.

Sirius shook his head as he stepped closer to her.

"He's been going mental all day. Trying to reassure him is pointless."

"At this rate he's going to have a panic attack before the party even has a chance to begin."

Sirius chuckled.

"You look beautiful," he told her softly.

And she did. The neckline was a low V, and the top was covered in rhinestones. These robes were shorter than the ones she had worn the night of Slughorn's Christmas party. The front fell shorter than the back, reaching to just past his knees. Her hair had been curled more than what it did naturally and piled on top of her head in a loose bun except for a few wisps that fell and framed her face. He had to admit that red was a good color on her.

"Thank you," she replied quietly, a small smile spreading across her lips.

James returned then, a pout on his face, because it had not been Lily at the door. But a few hours later, he had a huge grin on his face and his arm wrapped around Lily's waist. The house was full of party guests and a loud, comforting hum of voices filled the downstairs of the home.

The Gryffindor seventh years that had been able to come were gathered together near the large Christmas tree in a corner of the sitting room. They each had a glass of eggnog in their hands as they chatted and carried on. Peter was currently in the middle of telling them how his cat had managed to knock over their Christmas tree, sending his mother into a panic despite the fact that it could have been undone with one wave of her wand.

"She yelled for an hour until dad came home and fixed the tree."

James pointed his finger at Peter. "Why didn't you just fix it if she was too busy shouting to do it yourself?"

Peter shrugged. "Between protecting the cat and laughing, the thought just didn't occur to me."

"But is she still mad at the cat?" Lily questioned.

Peter shook his head. "As soon as the tree was fixed she calmed down."

Sirius snorted. "No offence mate, but your mum can be mental sometimes."

Peter couldn't argue against that. It was true.

They stood talking for a long while, discussing the gifts they had received for Christmas. Lily admired the locket that hung around Samantha's neck. While the two of them were talking, Sirius teased James about how panicked he had been earlier about Lily, earning himself an elbow jabbed in his stomach.

After a while, Samantha's father came and sought her out. Telling her that he had someone he wanted her to meet, he led her across the room. As she went, she shot a look at Lily over her shoulder. He had already done this a couple of times earlier in the evening. He'd introduce her to a man not much older than her with the obvious hopes that it would go somewhere. She allowed it the first time, but after the second one had talked her ear off for nearly half an hour, she'd gone in search of her friends in hopes that her father would leave her alone. It did not appear that she had had such luck.

He led her towards a young man who appeared to be only a few years older than her. He had shaggy red hair and brown eyes. He was laughing at something someone had said, a glass of wine in his hand, and she had to admit that he was handsome. Even so, she would rather have been back with her friends.

When he finished his conversation, the man turned to Brennan and greeted him with a grin and a firm handshake.

"Brennan," he said. "How have you been?"

"It's been a smooth Christmas so far, so I can't complain," Samantha's father replied before he turned to Samantha, putting his hand on her back and pushing her forward a bit. "I wanted to introduce you to my daughter, Samantha. Samantha, this is Fabian Prewitt. He, ah, works with me."

The hesitation told her that Fabian was not an Auror.

"It's nice to meet you," Samantha said to him, shaking his hand.

"The pleasure's all mine, Miss Samantha Dawson," he replied with a wink.

They made polite conversation while Brennan stood with them. But as soon as he excused himself and walked away, Fabian stopped mid-sentence.

"You can be honest. The last thing you want to be doing right now is talking to me."

Samantha's eyes widened and she attempted to stammer out a response, but Fabian waved her off with a grin.

"So has he been at this all night?"

Samantha sighed and relaxed her shoulders.

"You're the third," she admitted. "And the last one nearly bored me to tears."

He chuckled. "Well, at least he cares enough about you to put forth the effort," he said before taking a sip of his wine. "So is he trying to secure your future or does he just not like your boyfriend?"

Samantha laughed softly and shook her head. "No, no, I don't have a boyfriend."

Fabian raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because that bloke over there has been staring at us the entire time you've been over here. Sirius Black, I believe his name is."

Furrowing her brow, she sneaked a peek Sirius's way. He was facing their direction, chatting with James, and sure enough, his eyes flickered over James's shoulders for the briefest of moments. She turned back to Fabian an shook her head.

"No, the two of us are not dating."

At her tone, his eyebrow raised even more. "So there's some sort of a history between the two of you."

Color rising to her cheeks, she glanced back. James and Lily had just moved off to stand on their own and Peter had disappeared in the crowd, so Sirius moved towards the couch in front of the fireplace.

"Not much of a history," she murmured.

He studied her for a long moment before saying, "It may not be my place to say as we've just met, but it looks to me like there's less of a history and more of a present there."

She twirled her nearly empty glass of eggnog, watching the liquid swirly around inside the glass. "It seems like this keeps coming up in conversations nowadays."

"Well, Miss Samantha Dawson, perhaps someone is trying to tell you something." He was silent for a moment, his gaze roaming the room. "You're father's stopped watching us. Take the chance to escape."

Samantha gave him a smile. "Thank you. It was nice to meet you."

With that, she turned back towards the room. James and Lily did not look like they wished to be disturbed, so after a moment's hesitation, she made her way towards Sirius. He glanced at her and smiled in greeting as she seated herself beside him on the sofa, smoothing out the skirt of her dress and setting her glass on the coffee table.

"It seems like your father has been busy tonight," he said to her.

She sighed heavily. "Oh, he has. That last one was decent enough at least. Told me when dad stopped watching so I could escape."

"Well," Sirius said with a glance towards the clock that stood across the room, "It's nearly two in the morning. Perhaps he'll stop."

"Perhaps," she agreed. "But I'm more relying on the fact that he won't find me sitting over here."

"So that's why you chose to sit with me," Sirius teased. "It had nothing to do with my company."

Samantha shook her head. "Shut up. You'd just like me to boost your ego by assuring you it was your company I was seeking."

He shrugged, the grin on his face confirming the truth to her statement. A comfortable silence fell between them. Her gaze fell on the fire, which had been kept stocked during the party. It was late, and she was realizing just how tired she was. For a moment, she allowed herself to think about how wonderful it would be when she finally crawled into her bed.

Sirius eventually broke the silence by clearing his throat. "I uh, I've gotten you something."

She turned her gaze to him to watch him pull a small box out of his robes. She smiled even as she shook her head.

"You didn't have to get me anything."

"I know," he replied quickly. "I'll admit, I debated whether or not I should. I wasn't sure if it would be out of line. But then Peter let it slip that he was helping you with a gift for me…"

She groaned. "He gave it away?"

"Well, not exactly. I still have no clue as to what it is. No amount of hexing got him to open his mouth." Samantha shook her head. "And finding out about it helped me decide what to do. So here."

He held the box out to her. She took it into her hands and looked back up at him before she opened it.

"I've forgotten yours," she told him. "It's up in my room at home. I didn't realize I'd left it until we got here. I didn't want to send it by owl."

He waved a hand at her. "I can wait. Just open yours."

She moved her gaze back down to the box in her hands and slowly lifted the lid. Nestled in the box were two earrings. They were small, only studs, but her breath hitched.

"Sirius," she breathed, her gaze jerking up. "These are real diamonds. These must have cost a fortune."

He shrugged. "To tell you the truth, James picked them out for me. And when I argued that I didn't have any money, he bought them."

"He's rather determined, isn't he?" she asked with a smile. "And I love them all the same. They're beautiful." She reached out and covered one of his hands with hers. "Thank you."

He grinned. "I'm glad you like them."

"I do," she assured him.

"Are you looking for someone?"

Brennan, who had just finished searching the kitchen, stopped at the voice of his wife. She looped her arm through his and smiled up at him. "Your daughter perhaps?"

"I left her with Fabian and now she's disappeared," Brennan explained. "And I've found someone else I'd like her to meet."

Elizabeth shook her head. "You're trying too hard dear."

"I only want her to be happy," Brennan explained. "To find someone for her to care about and take care of her in return."

Raising an eyebrow, Elizabeth glanced to her left. "It looks to me like she already has."

Brennan followed her gaze to see Sirius and Samantha sitting together on the sofa before the fireplace, deep in conversation.

"I thought that they'd broken up," he said.

"That doesn't mean anything, dear. Just look at them." She moved her hand to rest on his arm. "The night's almost over. Leave her be."

Brennan nodded in agreement and allowed her to lead him away towards Grace and Joseph Potter.

At long last the party came to an end. The Dawsons were one of the last to leave. Since it was so late, they'd decided it was quicker and safer to travel by floo. Samantha's family had already gone through, but she lingered for a moment longer. James had already fallen asleep and was snoring loudly on the sofa, his glasses deposited on the ground. Sirius stood with her, seeing her off.

"I'll come round tomorrow," she told him. "With your present."

He nodded and brought a hand up to brush against her ear where she had put in the earrings he had gifted her. "Those earrings are stunning," he told her softly.

"Thank you," she replied. Before she could change her mind, she rose on her toes and brushed her lips against his cheek.

"Goodnight, Sirius," she said as she stepped away.

"Goodnight," he replied as she disappeared in the emerald flames.

That night, he fell asleep with a smile on his face, having no idea what was coming their way.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**I meant to have this up a few days ago, but I didn't have the time to edit. This is the point where I feel the story really starts to move. We still have a long way to go. This story goes up until Halloween 1981. My break is unfortunately ending on Monday, and I'm anticipating having very little time to write. But I have the next chapter already written out. I just needs to be edited. So maybe that will give me a bit of a head start. I was hoping to have a few chapters on hand by the end of break, and though I wrote a lot more than I usually do, I didn't quite make it.**

**I wish everyone a Happy New Year! As always, a huge thanks to those of you that take the time to review. I really love hearing your thoughts.**

**Warning: Character Deaths**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Twenty Seven

Samantha jerked awake, her eyes snapping open as she gasped softly. She lay still in her bed for a moment, trying to figure out what had woken her up, her eyes glancing around her dark room. Exhaustion burned her eyes; she could have only been asleep for a couple of hours at most. Using her elbows, she propped herself up, straining her ears to see if she could hear something. After several minutes, she dropped back down to her pillow with a sigh. She rolled over and closed her eyes, and she was nearly back to sleep when she heard a muffled shout from downstairs. She shot up in bed, wondering, hoping she had imagined the shout. Then there was a loud crashing noise.

Heart thumping in her chest, Samantha threw her sheets off of her as she climbed out of her bed, grabbing her wand off of her nightstand. She moved to her closed door and pressed her ear against it, trying to hear anything. Her father had once told her that if anything were to happen while she was in her bedroom, she should lock her door and stay put. She knew he would be angry if she did not listen, but how could he expect her to just sit here if something were wrong?

A door slammed and she heard footsteps pounding down the main staircase. There were more shouts, more crashes, as various colors of light flashed under her door. She leaned her back against the door and slid down to the floor, her hand gripping to doorknob tightly. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest and she took several deep breaths to try and calm it down. She wished she had some sort of way of communication from her room. She had never before felt so cut off from the rest of the world. Making a decision that she was sure she would get yelled at for later, she stood and slowly turned the doorknob, cracking the door open slightly. She glanced out at the dark hallway. With her door opened, the shouts and crashes were much louder.

She gripped her wand tightly in her hand and slipped out into the hallway. As slowly and quietly as she could, she stepped forward to look over the railing and down into the foyer. A loud crashing noise came from the kitchen, causing her to flinch in surprise.

"Elizabeth!"

Samantha's body jumped into motion when she heard her father's voice yell her mother's name. Fear for her family shot through her, adrenaline pulsing through her veins. Moving quickly, she turned down the main hallway, passing up the main staircase to head towards the smaller stairs at the end of the hall that led to the kitchen. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening, as a shadowy figure stepped out of the library and into the hall in front of her.

"Well, well, well," a man's voice said, deep and menacing. "I was wondering where you were."

The tip of his wand illuminated, casting light upon his face. She took a step back when she realized she was looking into the cold, grey eyes of Lucius Malfoy. His lips tilted into a smirk. The shouts and crashes continued below, and she could swear that she heard Bellatrix Lestrange's cackle.

"Do you know," Lucius asked her, striding towards her slowly, lazily, and she backed up with every step he took towards her, "How your family is like a thorn in the Dark Lord's side? Especially your father. So much trouble from one family; Purebloods of all things. Such a shame to the Pureblood name."

He stopped moving towards her and lifted his wand to point at her. She froze, and was unable to raise her wand in defense. It would not have done any good anyway. She was far outmatched.

"Elimination is the only option."

A jet of light suddenly shot out of his wand, catching her in the chest and sending her flying backwards. Her head caught on the corner of a decorative table her mother always kept a vase of fresh-cut flowers on. The sharp corner cut into her head before she crashed to the ground. The impact with the table caused the vase to topple over, shattering loudly on the hallway floor. She groaned, blood flowing freely down her face. She brought a hand up to her face, a difficult task as the impact had left her dazed. She heard footsteps moving towards her, but she could not seem to make herself try to get up.

"Much too easy," Lucius said from somewhere above her. "The young ones always are. Your mother was much more difficult."

She began groping around for her wand, having dropped it when she'd flown backwards, but she was unable to find it.

Malfoy shook his head and pointed his wand at her. "_Crucio_."

A pain that she had only felt once before suddenly ripped through her. Unable to help herself, she screamed. It only lasted a moment, though it felt much longer, before she heard someone shout out.

"_Stupefy_!"

A loud thud announced a body falling to the ground. Seconds later, someone was leaning over her, and after trying to focus through her daze for a moment, she recognized the face of her father, some of his hair hanging in his face.

"Sweetheart," he breathed, grabbing hold of her hands and helping her to stand before pulling her against him, holding her close for a moment.

When he pulled away, he murmured, "Stay here. I'll be right back."

Leaning heavily against the wall, her entire body shaking, she watched her father quickly make his way down the hall before disappearing into the library. She glanced down at Malfoy lying unconscious on the floor and she took a shaky step back, wondering how long he would stay stunned. Her father reappeared then, a large spell book he had spent many nights bent over in his hands.

"_Portus_," he murmured, tapping his wand to the book's cover as he came to a stop beside her. The book shuddered in his hands, glowing briefly, before looking ordinary again. "In one minute," he began to whisper hurriedly to her, "This portkey will take you to the Potters. Here," he held it out to her. "Take it."

Samantha eyed the book but did not take it. "You're not coming with me?"

Brennan sighed and clutched her arms in his hands. "I've got to stay here," he told her. "But I want to know that you're safe."

"I'm not leaving without you," she protested.

"Sweetheart, please," Brennan replied, face strained. He glanced behind them to Malfoy, who would be stirring at any moment.

"I'm not leaving," she said firmly.

Brennan sighed heavily and glanced behind them once again. He hated what he was going to have to do. "Alright, love." He held the book out to her once again. "Hold onto it tight. I won't let go."

She hesitated only a moment before reaching out, grasping the book in her hands. Brennan studied her face in the last seconds before leaning forward and kissing her forehead.

"I love you."

As the full weight of the book fell into her hands, she only had a chance to meet her father's gaze, shock and panic playing across her face, before the tug at her naval took her away.

* * *

When her feet slammed into the ground, she was unable to catch herself and she fell forward into the snow with a shout. She had no cloak and she was barefoot. She shivered uncontrollably as she pushed herself to her knees. The blood from the cut on her forehead dripped in her left eye, and she wiped it away with the sleeve of her pajamas.

"Daddy?" she called out, glancing around frantically, refusing to believe that he had left her alone. She was met by the eerie silence of a snow-covered world.

Her hair whipped wildly in the wind. It was just barely light outside, and the dark form of the Potter home loomed before her. She was in the front yard, but the door looked so far away. She pushed herself to her feet, swaying and nearly falling back down again. She managed to catch herself and take a step forward. Her legs shook violently, but she ignored it, stepping forward slowly, fighting to keep her footing, stumbling in the deep snow.

The journey seemed to take forever. Her feet were numb and stung sharply in the snow. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, her only means to keep warm. Her legs threatened to no longer support her, but she forced them to keep moving her towards the door.

Finally, she was stumbling up the stairs. Leaning heavily against the door, she began pounding heavily upon it, her entire body shaking from the cold. She did not stop until she heard the click of the lock. When the door opened, James appeared on the other side, an irritated look on his face. The look did not last long.

"Sam," he breathed when he got a good look at her.

"James," she murmured, taking a step forward, attempting to escape the cold. Her legs finally won the battle, giving out beneath her. James caught her in his arms.

"Sam," he said again, voice frantic. "Oh, Merlin. Mum! Dad!"

She felt him lift her in his arms, and when the door slammed closed, the bitter wind finally disappeared. She shivered in his arms and he tightened the grip he had on her. The last thing she heard before she drifted off was James muttering to himself as he began to climb the stairs.

His parents met him halfway up.

"What's happened?" Joseph demanded when he caught sight of Samantha in his son's arms.

"I don't know," James replied as his mother pressed her hand against Samantha's cheek. "She was at the door and collapsed as soon as I answered."

"She's freezing," Grace said to James. "Take her upstairs. Get her warm and take care of that cut on her head."

"What are you going to do?" James asked as his parents moved down the stairs.

"We're going to get help," Joseph replied as they pulled their cloaks out of the closet by the door. "And hope we're not too late."

James carried Samantha upstairs as he heard his parents move to the fireplace to use the floo.

He passed up his bedroom for the guest room further down the hall, though he pounded on the closed door and shouted Sirius's name as he passed.

When James reached the guest room, he peeled the covers back on the bed before laying Samantha down on it, pulling the covers over her and tucking them around her.

"Come on," he muttered, kneeling beside the bed and taking her freezing hand in his. "Warm up."

"Prongs." Sirius's half-asleep voice spoke from the doorway. "What's going on?"

James turned as Sirius blinked a few times to focus his gaze. When his eyes fell on the bed, his face paled.

"What happened?" he asked, stepping into the room.

James shook his head. "I don't know," he replied. "But she's freezing and I can't get her to warm up."

Sirius stared at Samantha's pale face for just a moment before he made a decision. Pulling off his shirt, he shoved James out of the way and slid into the bed, pulling her against him.

"What are you doing?" James hissed, horrified, behind him.

"Body heat," Sirius explained. "It should warm her up faster."

He curled around her, ignoring how her cold skin stung his. She shivered against him, but after several minutes, the shivering subsided just the slightest bit.

"See? It's already working."

James watched them for a moment longer before striding out of the room and to the bathroom. Grabbing a towel, he ran warm water over it. When it was wet enough, he shut the water off and rung the towel out before moving back to the guest bedroom.

The bleeding on her head seemed to have stopped for the most part, so he concentrated on gently cleaning away the blood that had dried down the side of her face. Once he'd cleared away the blood, he studied the cut, not quite sure what to do with about it. It wasn't too terribly deep at least.

"She's warming up," Sirius said quietly, breaking the silence.

Dropping to the floor, James leaned against the wall, sighing in relief. "Thank Merlin."

Shifting a bit, Sirius hesitantly asked, "Do you think her family…" He could not bring himself to finish, and he was not sure how his question would have ended.

Either way, James's jaw clenched tightly, his face lined with worry. "I don't know," he said softly.

Silence fell between them as they became lost in their own thoughts, their own worries. Sirius wondered how she would be when she woke up, what state of mind she would be in. He knew she would not have left her family willingly and he wondered how she had come to turn up at the Potters' front door.

When Sirius deemed her warm enough, he slid out of the bed before pulling the sheets up, tucking them around her. He ran a hand over her head before picking his shirt up and pulling it on. Silently, he moved to where James was seated, sliding down the wall to sit beside him. For a long time, they sat in silence, not willing to voice their thoughts.

Sirius did not know how long they sat there. One hour, maybe two. But after a while, they heard the unmistakable sound of the front door opening and shutting. James perked his head and pushed himself to his feet. Sirius followed him out of the room and they made their way down the hall to see Adrien slowly climbing the stairs exhaustedly. The lines on his face said it all.

"Is she…?" he asked quietly, not quite meeting their gazes.

"She's asleep," James replied. "Down the hall."

Adrien nodded and made his way down the hall without another word. Sirius swallowed hard and closed his eyes as James rested his forehead against the wall, a string of curses escaping his lips.

* * *

Adrien pulled a chair up beside the bed and sat there, waiting for his sister to wake up. Joseph had been the one to show up at his house with the news of the attack. He'd told him how they'd found out about it by Samantha showing up at the door, frozen and in shock. As soon as he'd heard that she'd been alone, he knew. But he'd still insisted on going to the house to see for himself. The images still haunted his mind, but it was something he'd had to do.

He'd seen his aunt first. She was lying in the foyer, right at the foot of the main staircase. Her neck had been broken by a bone-breaking curse. His mother and uncle were both in the kitchen, the Killing Curse the demise of them both, though it looked as if his uncle had been hit by several different curses beforehand. His father had been in the sitting room. At least what had been left of him. He'd been hit by the Reductor Curse. Adrien had barely managed to stumble from the room before he was sick. But he did not regret it. He'd needed to see for himself. But he'd never imagined the scene to be so horrible.

Sighing heavily, he dropped his head into his hands. Just the day before they had been happy and celebrating Christmas. How had things turned so terrible so quickly?

Samantha shifted slightly on the bed and he raised his head out of his hands. When she sighed and shifted again, he brushed his hand across her forehead, mindful of the cut on her head.

"Kiwi," he said softly. "Wake up."

She shifted once more before her eyes slowly opened. She blinked a couple of times before she was able to focus on the face of her brother.

"Adrien," she breathed, pushing herself up into a sitting position. She paused and glanced around, confusion crossing her face. "This is the Potters'. What am I doing here?"

Adrien furrowed his brow. "Do you remember what happened?"

She turned to look at him, a thoughtful look on her face. "We went home after the party. Then I was woken by noises. And there were…" Her eyes widened. "Death Eaters. Adrien, there were Death Eaters."

She'd reached out to grip his arm tightly and he swallowed before he nodded.

"I know," he replied quietly.

Her grip tightened. "Adrien." Her eyes pleaded with him to tell her. He could see the hope, but it was overrun by the feeling that she already knew the answer.

He couldn't keep it from her any longer.

"They didn't make it."

Her entire body went cold. He watched her deflate in front of him, her hand falling from his arm. He'd expected tears or at least some sort of a reaction, but her face was impassive as she folded her hands in her lap, her gaze on the sheets of her bed.

His face creased with concern, he said, "Sam," as he reached for her.

She flinched away from his touch and he allowed his arm to drop. He decided to give her a chance to allow what he'd told her sink in. But they sat there for an hour, and she did not move for the entire time. He tried again to get her to speak to him, but he received no acknowledgement. She had completely closed herself up. With a sigh, he stood from the chair and moved out of the room. He found James and Sirius camped out in the hallway and their gazes jerked up when he stepped out of the room.

"I can't get her to talk to me," he said more to James than Sirius. "Do you think…"  
James pushed himself to his feet and nodded, clapping Adrien on the shoulder before slipping inside of the room.

She had not moved since Adrien left the room. Thinking that perhaps Adrien should not have been as concerned about getting her to talk, he slid onto the bed beside her. She still did not move, but he could see her watching him out of the corner of her eye.

"I'm sorry," he whispered and slipped his arm around her waist.

She tensed at first, but then she leaned against him, burying her face in his chest. She did not cry, which concerned him, but at least they'd gotten some sort of a reaction out of her. His hand began to rub her back, and he questioned if they would be able to make it through this.

James still had not been seen by the time early evening had come around. Sirius was seated downstairs in the kitchen along with James's parents, Adrien, and Nichole, who had arrive earlier that day. She was seated beside Adrien, her arm around his waist. Grace had made a halfhearted attempt at making dinner and had just placed plates in front of everyone, but no one made to eat it.

They'd been discussing plans for a funeral, to be held in a couple of day when the topic suddenly turned to Samantha.

"She should stay here tonight," Adrien said. "And then tomorrow I'll come and take her home with me. I'm going to headquarters in the morning, but I can come by sometime tomorrow afternoon."

Nichole shot Adrien a look that told Sirius that the two of them had already argued about his plan to go into work the next morning, but Sirius was not surprised that he'd planned to. He'd want to be involved in investigating the deaths of his family.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Grace questioned. "Perhaps she'd be better off staying here."

Something flashed across Adrien's blue eyes. "She's my sister," he said firmly. "I'm the only family she has left."

"I realize that," Grace replied gently. "But there's still a couple of weeks until she goes back to Hogwarts. Both you and Nichole work full time. I don't think it would be a good idea for her to be alone right now. If she stayed here, she'd have James and Sirius to keep her company."

Adrien's eyes briefly flicked Sirius's way. Sirius was well aware that Adrien was not fond of him, not since he and Samantha had broken up. He did not think it had been a good idea on Grace's part to use his name in her argument.

"She's making a good point," Nichole said to Adrien quietly. "You should at least allow Samantha to decide for herself."

"She's not in any state to make decisions," Adrien argued. "I'm her brother. It would be best for her to stay with me."

Sirius clenched his jaw and tuned out the conversation. He was not sure how Adrien was holding together so well. He knew he was taking this a lot harder than he was letting on. But he did not like that he planned to decide something such as where Samantha would live without asking her opinion. It ought to be her to decide, and from what little he had heard about her reaction to the news, he found he agreed with Grace's opinion. It did not sound as if she should be left in a house alone.

He stood, but no one seemed to notice as they continued to argue about where she should stay. He retreated from the kitchen and headed upstairs. His original plan was to see if James was still with Samantha and if he was not, sit down and talk with him. But when he opened Samantha's door slightly to peek in and found her alone, he found himself knocking on the frame softly, announcing his presence before stepping inside the room, closing the door behind him.

She turned to see who it was and even managed a small smile when she saw it was him. He was not sure if he should be concerned or not. He retuned her smile as he moved to the bed, seating himself on the edge.

"How are you feeling?"

He winced as soon as he asked. It was a stupid question to ask. She shrugged in response and adverted her gaze, and Sirius could see her visibly freeze up. He cursed himself silently. He should have known from Adrien's description of how she reacted when he told her the news that his question would not receive a response.

He watched her for a moment, just in case she decided to respond. But when she showed no signs of further acknowledging him or his question, he reached out and squeezed her hand.

"If you need anything, let me know."

He made to stand, but the hand he had squeezed turned and grasped hold of his hand, not allowing him to pull away.

"I don't…" Her voice was soft, uncertain, and when she turned to look at him, he was taken aback at how listless her eyes were. "I don't want to be alone."

Sirius slid closer to her, lacing his fingers with hers. "I won't leave you," he told her softly, his eyes searching her face. "If that's what you ask of me."

She stared at him for a long moment before she whispered, "Don't leave me."

Neither one were sure how it happened, but the next thing they knew, their lips were pressed together, moving against each other gently. It only lasted a moment until her hand that he was not grasping was on his shoulder, pushing him away. He pulled away instantly, his eyes apologetic.

"I'm sorry," she said to him quietly. "I want to but…"

"You can't," he finished for her.

She shook her head. "Not right now." She seemed worried, like she thought he would be upset about her breaking their kiss.

With his free hand, he reached up and pushed her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. "It's not a good time," he said softly. "But I'm here should you need anything."

Her fingers tightened around his hand. "I still want you to stay."

He shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere."

And he didn't. They stayed up talking for a little while, lying beside each other in the bed, their still-entwined hands between them. It was not too long before she drifted off. He was not surprised; it had been a long day.

He stayed up for a while after she had fallen asleep. At one point, she began to shift restlessly in her sleep. He squeezed her hand, stroking it with his thumb, as he whispered comfortingly to her. When she began to cry out, he slid closer to her, releasing her hand to wrap his arms around her. At his touch, she quieted, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. The tension left her body and she fell into a relaxing sleep once again.

He rested his head against hers, his arms remaining around her. It wasn't long before his eyes began to grow heavy, and he briefly wondered if he should release her, but he fell asleep before he could put much thought into it.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**A new semester has officially started up for me and with it, new classes that are going to demand a lot of attention from me. They haven't quite gotten into full swing yet but I'm going to have to start focusing a lot of my attention on that. That being said, I've been hit by a lot of inspiration lately and I have at least two more chapters ready to go. I'm going to try and post about every other week. That way, I'm hoping to be able to keep up, and that way not have a huge lull between chapters. I won't make any promises though in case things get crazy. **

**A huge thanks to those that reviewed! I love getting your feedback!**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Twenty Eight

Adrien stopped by early the next morning on his way to Auror headquarters. Sirius and Samantha had both been awake, lying silently in bed because Samantha was not feeling up to talking. When they heard Adrien's voice downstairs, Sirius was quick to slip from the room and move down the hall to the room he shared with James. James had already been awake and had given Sirius an odd look when Sirius had stepped into the room. He had not mentioned the fact that Sirius had been seen since the previous evening. He had known where he'd been. Instead, he'd asked how Samantha was feeling that morning.

When Adrien stepped into the room, his eyes heavily shadowed, she attempted to greet him with a smile, but failed miserably. He sat down on the bed with her and held his arm out to her. She hesitated a moment before she scooted closer, leaning against him, allowing him to wrap his arm around her shoulder. For several minutes, they were silent. But Adrien was anxious to get to headquarters and did not stay silent long.

"I've been thinking," he said quietly, rubbing her arm. "About where you ought to stay until you go back to Hogwarts." Samantha's heart dropped. This was one of many changes that she had yet to consider. "I wanted you to stay with Nichole and I, and we'd still love to have you. But we had a long talk when we got home last night, and I think it may be a good idea for you to stay here. The Potters have already said that they'd love to have you. Nichole and I both work full time and you'd be alone. Here you'd have James and Sirius."

The look on his face as he told her all of this said that he was not quite sold on the idea yet, but was obviously trying to put what was best for her before what he wanted.

"Either way would be fine. We want you to choose what you want."

She nodded. "Can I think about it?" she asked him softly.

"Of course," he replied, squeezing her arm. "I'm going to work now, and I've asked James to take you to the house to get your things. Take your time deciding."

He stayed a few minutes longer before he left. Once he was gone, Sirius returned to tell her that Grace had fixed breakfast. Samantha had nodded and told him that she would come downstairs after she showered.

She stayed in the shower for a long time. By the time she'd come downstairs, Grace and Joseph had left, saying that they'd been asked to come speak to a few Aurors. Sirius was sure that it had something to do with the Order.

Both James and Sirius had attempted to hold a conversation with her, but she was fairly silent as she halfheartedly picked at her food. They exchanged concerned looks, and the remainder of breakfast was quiet.

By late morning, they were apparating to the front door of the Dawson home. The defenses had fallen on the morning of the attack and the Aurors were still trying to figure out why. James had deemed Samantha unable to apparate herself and had attached himself to her arm. He'd released her as they trudged through the snow to the door, their cloaks wrapped tightly around themselves in the wind.

When they stepped into the foyer and out of the wind, Sirius glanced around. No sign of what had happened the previous morning remained. They shed their cloaks and draped them over the railing of the staircase. When James offered to go upstairs with her, Samantha shook her head and said that she would go alone. So they watched her climb the stairs before they moved into the sitting room. James immediately sank onto the sofa, his face lined.

"I don't know what to do, Padfoot. She's never been this withdrawn."

"She just needs time," Sirius replied, sitting down in an armchair. "It's still sinking in; she's still in shock."

"I'm not sure if it's time that she needs. I don't like how she reacted to the news. Or maybe I should say lack of reaction."

"Did you talk to Adrien about it?"

James nodded. "He's worried. That's why he suggested we go ahead and bring her here to collect her things. He hoped maybe it would help."

"I doubt it," Sirius disagreed. "She needs her mind taken off of it. We're giving her too much time alone to think. We need to be distracting her."

"But how?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don't think there's much we can do before the funeral. But at the funeral, there will be some sort of closure. She'll have to acknowledge what's happened. We can try to take her mind off of it any way we can; stop dancing around her as if she'll break."

"And it'll be easier when we go back to Hogwarts, I think," James mused. "But do you think distracting her will help?"

Sirius shook his head. "Honestly, I doubt anything we can do will really help. But we can try."

James sighed and ran his hands through his hair before turning the conversation. He told Sirius that he'd contacted Lily, Remus, and Peter to tell them the news before it hit the Prophet. They'd been surprised that the story still had not come out, but it was only a matter of time. The Aurors couldn't keep it quiet forever. They were still working on trying to get a hold of Amber. She was still traveling, and though Lily had sent her an owl, it would take it awhile to track them down.

When the conversation lulled, Sirius glanced at the ceiling.

"It's awfully quiet up there."

James followed his gaze and let out a frustrated noise, pushing himself off of the couch and striding out of the sitting room. Sirius followed and stood at the foot of the stairs as James went up them and went to check her room. He reappeared a moment later.

"She's not there."

Sirius glanced at their cloaks. All three were still there, but that did not mean anything. Throwing his over his shoulders, he moved to the back door.

"You check the rest of the house," he called. "I'll take a look outside."

He stepped outside the door and glanced around, hoping to see if there were any footprints to follow. It didn't help. Numerous footprints littered the backyard going in different directions. They belonged to Aurors, he was sure, trying to figure out how the Death Eaters had gotten inside undetected.

He thought she might be in the garden, but there was no sign of her. Something told him that she was out here somewhere, so he wandered past the garden and further down the yard than he ever had. There was a small grove of trees at the back of the property, and he noticed a set of footprints that had separated from the others and headed in that direction. He followed them.

He found her at an oak tree. She was seated on a wide wooden swing, her gaze seemingly staring at nothing in particular as she absently used her feet to push the swing around. She wasn't shivering, but he imagined she must be cold without her cloak.

When he stepped into her line of sight, she glanced up at him briefly, but did not offer any other acknowledgment.

"Can I join you?" he asked her softly.

She nodded, but did not say anything as she slid over to make room for him. He seated himself beside her. The swing was not quite wide enough for two people and they sat pressed closely together. His hand brushed against hers and he felt how cold her skin was.

"You must be freezing," he said to her. "Here."

He tugged at his cloak and wrapped part of it around her shoulders, pulling it tightly so that it wrapped around both of them. She was appreciative of the warmth, and leaned against him so that the cloak would better wrap around her.

"You shouldn't have come out without your cloak," he chastised gently. "And you didn't have to sneak out here."

She shook her head slightly.

"James wouldn't have allowed it."

"He's just worried about you."

"I know," she replied. "But I wanted to visit this place one more time."

His brow furrowed. "One more time?"

She finally turned to look at him. His throat tightened like it had every time he saw how empty her eyes were since the previous day. Not for the first time, he wondered how long they would remain that way.

"I'm not coming back here, Sirius," she told him quietly. "At least not for a long time. It's too painful."

His hand found hers and he squeezed it gently. For a while, they sat in silence, Sirius's feet gently pushing the swing back and forth.

"My father put this up for me when I was little," Samantha said. "I teasingly dared him to hang it without magic, but he took it seriously."

Sirius couldn't help but give her a small smile. "And how did that turn out?"

"He was lucky that my mum knew basic healing spells. She healed his broken wrist and he avoided a trip to St. Mungo's."

She let out a soft laugh, a light returning to her eyes that gave him hope. But it was gone as soon as it had come.

He allowed her a few more minutes before he sighed.

"We ought to head back to the house. James will be panicking soon. And we've still got to get your things together."

She nodded and allowed him to pull her up as he stood. He made sure the cloak stayed around her shoulders as they made their way back up to the house slowly. James met them at the door, demanding to know where she had been, but Sirius shook his head, silencing him.

This time when they reached the stairs, she quietly asked if they would come help. They agreed, exchanging brief glances as they climbed the stairs.

The three of them spent the afternoon packing what she deemed to be the most important belongings. Everything else would be left behind. She refused to take any family photos, save one, a group shot of them that appeared to be recent. James tried to talk her into taking the rest of them, but Sirius told him to drop the issue. If she changed her mind, the photographs would be right here waiting, and someone could come and get them.

Adrien was back at the Potters' when they returned. Samantha had pulled him to the side and told him that she thought it would be best if she stayed there. He'd looked a bit disappointed, but had understood and supported her decision. He helped Sirius and James move her things into the guest bedroom that had now become her room.

After a dinner that she hardly ate, she went back to the room to unpack. Sirius was not far behind her, offering his assistance, and together, they made the room feel more like her own. Even so, she could not help the pang she felt whenever she looked around the room. It would never be the room that she had grown up in.

* * *

For Samantha's second night staying at the Potters', Grace had come up to her room carrying a goblet of Dreamless Sleep potion, insisting that she drink some to get a good rest. She hadn't wanted to take it, but Sirius had encouraged it. At his urging, she'd agreed and taken the potion.

She fell asleep alone that night, comforted slightly by the fact that she was surrounded by her own belongings. But early the next morning, she jerked awake with a gasp, the remnants of a nightmare on the edge of her mind, the potion having worn off. She tried to fall back asleep, but eventually decided it was useless and rose from the bed.

She slipped on the light blue house coat that her mother had made for her and gifted her at Christmas, ignoring the way her chest tightened as it slid onto her arms. She had yet to wear it, but she was shivering in the early morning air.

She wrapped the coat tighter around herself as she stepped out of her room and headed down the hall towards the main staircase. She hoped that a cup of tea would help to clear her head. Her nightmare still burned in her mind. The bodies of her family, lying still on the floor. She had not been told the details of their deaths and her mind had been creative with it.

When she stepped off of the staircase, she was surprised to find a faint light coming from the kitchen. She had not expected anyone else to be up this early. Even the sun was not up at this hour. When she stepped around the corner and into the kitchen, she was surprised to find that it was Sirius that was up. He sat at the table, his face shadowed, the Daily Prophet and a cup of tea sitting in front of him. He glanced up when she stepped into the kitchen, but he did not seem surprised to see her.

He studied her silently as she moved to join him. The corners of her lips twitched slightly in what he thought was a half-hearted attempt to smile. Her hair was disheveled from sleep. There were shadows under her eyes and as she sat beside him, he could see the glisten of sweat on her skin despite the fact that the house was cold.

"You had a nightmare," he said quietly, standing and moving to the kettle to fix her a cup of tea.

She shrugged despite the fact that he could not see it.

"It's nothing," she whispered.

He did not look as if he believed her as he stepped back to the table, setting a cup of tea in front of her before sitting back down in his chair. He glanced at the Prophet sitting on the table and he reached out to flip it over. The movement caught her eye and she frowned.

"What's that?" she asked, reaching for the paper.

"It's not important," he said quickly, pulling the paper out of her reach.

Her frown deepened before realization dawned in her eyes.

"It's about my family."

Sirius could not bring himself to answer. Her hand dropped to the table and a painful silence stretched between them.

"I want to read it."

Sirius started and jerked his gaze to her, studying her face closely, trying to figure out what was going through her mind.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, and after hesitating for a moment, he sighed heavily and slid the paper towards her. She took it in her hands, and after glancing at him, she began to read the article. It did not provide any information that she did not already know, but she wanted to know what others would now know about what had happened. It spoke of the accomplishments her family had made in their lives and said that the Aurors were doing everything they could to catch the Death Eaters that were responsible. How they had no idea how the Death Eaters had gotten over the protective spells, but they were working on figuring that out. There was not any details about how they had died, however. The one thing she had yet to learn. She didn't realize how much she felt like she needed to know until she'd read the entire article.

"Are you alright?"

Sirius's quiet question drew her out of her thoughts and she looked back up at him. She managed to give him a small smile as she nodded.

"I'm fine," she replied. "It was beautifully written. It's just…"

"Just what?" he asked gently.

She glanced back down at the article in her lap before her blue eyes met his, a determination shining in them.

"How did they die?"

He was taken aback by her questioned. He blinked at her a few times as she continued to stare at him. Eventually, he managed to say, "What?"

"My family," she said. "How did they die? No one seems to be eager to tell me, but I have a right to know, don't you think?"

All he could do was nod, because she was right. She deserved to know. But Adrien had expressed concern about her finding out how exactly her father had died. The others would be hard enough, but he had died cruelly, and she wasn't exactly stable-minded at the moment.

"You know," she said after studying him for a moment. "I can see it in your face. Tell me. Please."

He could not deny her.

"Well," he began softly, hoping Adrien would not mind that he was telling her, "Your aunt was found first. In the foyer. She'd…her neck had been broken by a bone breaking curse." He paused, waiting for some kind of reaction, but other than a small nod, she remained silent. "Your mother and uncle were both in the kitchen. Both of them were killed with the killing curse. But there's evidence to suggest that your uncle had been hit by several different curses beforehand."

Looking into her eyes, he paused again. He couldn't tell her about her father. He couldn't do that to her. He did not know what sort of a reaction it would generate, but it would not be a good one. He made a quick decisions and only hoped that Adrien would not take it poorly.

"Your father was in the sitting room. He'd….he was also killed by the killing curse."

He hated to lie to her so blatantly, but he could not bring himself to tell her the truth. It was probably selfish on his part, but he did not want to be the one to give her that sort of news.

She nodded, her gaze glued to her lap. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, hoping he had a moment later on in the day to pull Adrien aside and explain himself before Samantha brought it up to him.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, he gently removed the Prophet from her lap, folding it up and setting it back on the table for Joseph to read later in the morning when he got up. He glanced out the window. The world was still dark.

"You ought to go back to bed," he told her, his hand moving to her shoulder. "It's going to be a long day today."

The funeral was to be held that afternoon. It was a day he'd both been dreading and hoping would provide Samantha with some closure that would allow her to show signs of accepting what had happened.

She made no move to get up, and so he stood, grasping her arms in his hands and urging her to her feet.

"Come on," he said gently, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leading her from the kitchen.

They climbed the stairs slowly. When they came upon the bedroom James and Sirius shared, her hand clenched his shirt tightly. He responded by tightening his arm around her and continuing down the hall.

"I'm not going anywhere," he assured her quietly.

When they reached her room, she turned to face him. "I want to give you something."

He wondered if she'd even been aware of herself clutching his shirt in fear that he would leave her.

His brow furrowed as he sat down on the bed.

"Give me something?" he repeated.

She nodded, moving towards the dresser and sliding one of the drawers open. She dug around inside for a moment before drawing out a carefully wrapped package. He realized what it was before she explained.

"Your Christmas gift," she said, moving to join him on the bed.

He was amazed that she'd thought of it when they had been gathering her things the day before. He'd completely forgotten that they'd planned to meet on the day her family had died so that she could give it to him.

He took the package when she offered it to him. Glancing at her one more time, he tugged at the wrapping to reveal a box. Wondering what it could be, he lifted the lid and his breathe caught in his throat. Nestled in the box was a silver pocket watch on a double-albert chain. He pulled it out and opened it gently. Stars circled around the face instead of hands, and he watched them move around for a moment. There was no telling what this had cost her, and he now knew why Peter had been involved in the gift. Since she had been unable to leave her house, Peter would have found it and picked it up for her.

"James told me once that you hadn't gotten a pocket watch when you came of age," she said softly. "I know it's a little late and it probably doesn't mean as much coming from me, but…"

"I love it," he told her, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her against him. "Thank you."

When she yawned, he placed the watch on the bedside table.

"You ought to get some more sleep," he told her.

She nodded and lay back against the pillows. She must have been exhausted because she fell asleep not long after, the room silent save for her deep breathing. He watched her sleep, debating whether he should leave or not. But in her sleep, her hand reached for his own, grasping it tightly. He couldn't help but smile and he lay down beside her. She sighed deeply and turned to face him, and they both fell into a restful sleep.

* * *

The Dawsons and Nottinghams were buried side by side in a large wizarding graveyard that was not too terribly far from the home they had died in. James and Sirius took Samantha a little early so that she could see their graves before a large crowd gathered. As they'd slowly made their way through the graveyard, James's hand on the small of Samantha's back, Sirius had looked around at the graves as they'd passed. The closer they drew to the graves, the more he saw the names Dawson and Nottingham, as well as other names he recognized from old pureblood families that had died off. Some of the dates on the grave were fairly recent, the dates matching the years of Voldemort's rise. He should not have been surprised. He knew that the Dawson family had once been large and prominent. Now, he was walking through their graves with one of the two that remained.

Both Sirius and James had been worried at what reaction Samantha would have to seeing her family's graves, but it once again was the lack of reaction that made them worry more. All she did was silently stare at the headstones, her face showing no emotion. Adrien and Nichole arrived not long after, and soon, a crowd began to form. When Lily arrived, she gave Samantha a long hug before moving to stand on James's other side. Remus and Peter hugged her when they arrived as well. All too soon for Samantha, the service had begun.

Dumbledore had been the one to speak. A fitting role. If there was someone who knew all there was to know about the four lives they were remembering, it was him. He'd taught them, watched them grow, and later, had led them against their world's largest threat. He had a lot to say, pleasant things, and he did them justice. Others spoke as well. Alastor Moody. The Minister of Magic, Marshall Windsor. Even Adrien, who somehow managed to keep himself composed. When Joseph Potter spoke, he'd nearly broken down in front of them all.

Samantha stood between James and Adrien. James rubbed her back the entire time. Adrien had his arms wrapped around Nichole, her head resting on his shoulder. Sirius stood directly behind them, between Remus and Peter, and half of the time, his eyes were on Samantha instead of the speaker. She did not move the entire time, her eyes glued straight ahead. He wondered how much she was even hearing.

After Dumbledore spoke a few closing words, the crowd of mourners gathered around Samantha and Adrien to offer their condolences. Sirius hung back with his friends, staying out of the way. James and Lily had struck up a conversation with a man that Sirius recognized but could not remember his name.

Adrien shook the hands of countless people, some he knew better than others, some he only recognized. Beside him, his sister seemed well-composed, or at least she would to those that did not know her well. But he did not miss the way her composure seemed to slip the tiniest bit, how she continued to inch closer and closer to him. Eventually, his eyes sought out her friends, and though he would have preferred to ask James, Sirius was the only one whose attention he could catch. He waved him over, and though Sirius looked a bit confused, he came, slipping through the crowd to join them.

"Can you take her home?" Adrien asked, putting a hand on Samantha's shoulder.

"Of course,"

He'd led her away from the crowd before disapperating. She seemed relieved to be back at the Potters, but she was not feeling like talking and had said she was going to lie down.

Early that evening, the crowd of mourners had moved to the Potter home where they provided food and drink. Samantha had still not come down.

"She ought to come down for at least a few minutes," Adrien was saying, a glass of firewhiskey in his hand.

"Leave her be," Grace replied as she set out more trays of food on the kitchen counter. "You can't blame her for not feeling up to it."

Anger briefly flashed in Adrien's eyes. It seemed that he and Grace had been disagreeing on a lot of things the past few days, but he knew she meant well. But she was not Samantha's mother, or family for that matter.

"Do you want me to go talk to her?" Nichole asked him quietly.

Adrien sighed and glanced up at the ceiling. "You can try. Sirius said she wasn't talking much."

Nichole nodded and turned to leave. Adrien caught her arm.

"If she doesn't feel up to coming down, it's alright."

She gave him a small smile before she left the kitchen. When she reached the bedroom, Samantha was lying curled up on her side on the bed, her back to the door. Nichole sighed and settled on the bed beside her. Gently, she reached over and brushed Samantha's hair out of her face.

"I know it's hard," she told her softly, rubbing her arm. "But I promise that it gets better. You'll always miss them, but their memory," her fingers brushed against the locket around Samantha's neck, "Will always stay with you."

After a long silence, Samantha rolled over so that she could look at Nichole. "How did you move past losing your mother?"

"Well, I never really moved past," Nichole replied. "Sometimes it still hurts. But I don't let it stop me from living my life. She wouldn't want that of me, and your family wouldn't want that of you. It will take some time, but eventually, you'll be okay. I got through it by keeping my friends close, and my father." She brushed a hand through Samantha's long hair. "Adrien told me that you've hardly spoken to him."

"I…I just can't stop thinking…what if he had still lived at home? What if I'd lost him too? But then I feel bad, because it feels as if I'm choosing him over the rest of my family. But I'm just grateful that he's still with me. That I'm not completely alone."

Her voice broke and Nichole pulled her towards her. Samantha pressed her face to her leg as Nichole rubbed her back, but she still did not cry.

"You'll never be completely alone," Nichole assured her. "You've got James and Lily, the rest of your friends. Sirius has certainly been making sure you don't feel alone. And Adrien's not going anywhere. If it makes you feel better, the offer still stands for you to come and live with us."

Samantha lifted her head and managed a small smile. "Thank you, but…I think I'd prefer to stay here."

Nichole smiled. "I thought you'd say that. But the offer remains." She reached out and tucked a strand of Samantha's hair behind her ear. "I just wanted to come and check on you. If you ever need anyone to talk to, you know where to find me. I should get back downstairs, but if you're not feeling up to it, you can stay up here."

Samantha still did not feel up to seeing all of the people, but nearly an hour later, when the hum of the voices had died down, she slowly made her way downstairs. Voices were coming from the kitchen, but she'd turned towards the sitting room. She found Adrien alone, staring at the fire, a glass of firewhiskey in his hand. He'd turned when he heard her approaching and seemed surprised to see her. She hadn't said anything, only wrapped her arms tightly around him, pressing her face to his chest. She heard him set the glass down on the mantle, and then his arms were around her, his face bowed in her hair. They stood there for a long time in silence, drawing comfort from each other.

Before Adrien went home that night, Sirius pulled him aside to tell him what he'd told Samantha early that morning. When he got to the part about lying about Brennan's death, Adrien had not looked pleased, but he'd admitted that he wasn't sure if he could have told her either. He warned him that though he wouldn't correct it, he was sure the truth would come out sooner or later and that Sirius would have to deal with it.

Samantha remained downstairs until Adrien left, attempting to appease Grace by picking at the food she placed in front of her. After her brother had gone, she'd said she was going to bed before heading upstairs. Sirius had followed her to the staircase and had quietly asked her if she would be okay that night. With a small smile, she'd told him that she thought she would be, before bidding him goodnight and heading up the stairs. She was nowhere near accepting what had happened, but as she'd pulled the covers around her that night, she felt comforted by Nichole's words.

* * *

Sirius turned over on his side, his eyes opening briefly, before he settled down to go back to sleep. It was usual for him to wake up in the middle of the night for a moment, and usually he fell right back to sleep after he turned over. But tonight, his ears perked at a sound that was out of place. His eyes opened again and with a groan, he pushed himself up. It took him a long moment to be able to decipher what he was hearing. As his mind became less sluggish, he was able to place the noise as running water. More specifically, it was the faucet in the bathroom sink. Always one to investigate noises, he pulled his covers away and swung his legs over the edge of the bed before pushing himself to his feet. Across the room, James was snoring quietly, and Sirius slipped from the room silently.

He made his way towards where light spilled into the hallway. Peering around the corner, he found Samantha leaning heavily against the sink, her eyes closed tightly. Water droplets dripped down her face where she had splashed it. He was willing to bet that she had not slept at all so far. She'd seemed more relaxed earlier that night, and he'd truly believed she'd be okay to sleep when she told him that she would be. She probably had, too. But he should have known better.

"Sam."

She jumped when he stepped around the corner and called her name. Turning to face him, she stared at him, her eyes wide.

"Sirius," she breathed. "What are you doing up?"

His lips briefly twitched into a tight smile. "That was my question," he told her, no tease in his voice. "Have you slept at all?"

Though he already knew the answer, she confirmed it when she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "I tried," she said softly. "But.."  
She did not have to continue. He knew.

"Come here," he said, holding out an arm towards her.

She hesitated before stepping towards him. He wrapped the arm around her shoulders, tucking her into his side, leaning over to turn the water off before leading her from the bathroom. Instead of turning towards her room, he led her towards his own. He thought, and hoped, that perhaps she would sleep better in a different bed for the night, away from the room she had struggled to sleep in for the past couple of nights.

She did not say anything when he led her away from her room. He was not sure if it was because she simply did not notice or just did not care. They slipped into the bedroom silently so they would not wake James, and Sirius led her to the bed.

She hesitated again when they reached his bed until he pushed her forward, gesturing to the bed silently. She slipped underneath the covers and he followed behind her. It was a twin bed and not big enough for two people, so she turned towards him and pressed against him, resting her head against his shoulder. His arms slid around her, his thumb lightly brushing against her skin. He felt her relax in his arms.

He waiting until she began breathing deeply with sleep before he allowed his own eyes to close. He'd thought that he'd be distracted and unable to sleep with her this close, but it seemed right for her to be asleep in his arms. It was not long before he fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**Sorry this is a bit late! I was working all weekend. I pet sit, and this involves me staying at the house. I was sitting at two different places and neither one have internet, and when I was around internet I was a bit busy. A longer chapter to make up for it. I'm still able to write a little so I'm hoping to be able to update every other Sunday and keep ahead to always have a chapter ready. I still have at least two more chapters ready so unless I just can't write at all, I don't see this being a problem. The main problem will be me keeping to uploading on the correct day.**

**A huge thanks to those that reviewed! And also to the readers who remain silent. I really appreciate you guys. And I love hearing feedback! **

* * *

Fate

Chapter Twenty Nine

James woke up before them the next morning, and he was not surprised to find Samantha asleep in Sirius's arms. He'd slipped from the room silently and stayed downstairs until they emerged later in the morning.

The remaining week of break seemed to pass by in a blur. Samantha struggled to sleep every night, and by the time morning would come around, she would be curled up against Sirius, either in her bed or his. James never said anything to them about it, for once not having the heart to tease. He was sure Sirius was the only reason she was getting any sleep. Food was another matter. James chastised her at every meal for how little she ate, but it seemed to fall upon deaf ears. As the end to winter break drew closer, he began to worry more about going back to Hogwarts and how Samantha would be once they returned.

The air was frigid on the Sunday morning they gathered at Kings Cross to board the train return to Hogwarts. Amber had not heard the news until the previous day, when she had finally returned home with her family. When she saw Samantha, she had given her a long hug and apologized for not hearing the news sooner. She'd been surprised to hear that Lily had tried to send her an owl to tell her the news; apparently the poor bird had gotten lost as it had never found her.

Fifteen minutes before the train was set to leave, they were all gathered in a circle, sharing what they had done for the remainder of their breaks. Adrien, who had come to see them off, had Samantha pulled aside. His head was bent low towards hers, and occasionally, she would nod.

"They're all staring," Lily said crossly after a few minutes.

Sirius had already noticed, but he glanced around at the crowd once again. "Did you expect any less?"

"No," she replied. "But it's still incredibly rude."

"We ought to just hex them all," Amber declared.

Remus shot her a startled look, but James looked as if he was seriously contemplating her idea. The werewolf shook his head and gave the other boy a firm "No".

"It would serve them all right," James argued.

"But the Head Boy can't go around hexing people."

"I won't," James replied, clapping Peter on the back. "Pete will do it for me, won't you?"

Peter's eyes widened and he began to nod his head, but when Remus's stern gaze turned to him, he said, "I don't think so, Prongs. Do it yourself."

James scowled. "The lot of you are bloody useless," he muttered. When Lily's green eyes narrowed, he wrapped his arm around her. "Except for you, Lily my love."

Sirius tuned out whatever retort Lily may have had as he watched Samantha exchange a tight hug with her brother. When they pulled apart, he moved towards them. The ten minute warning whistle blew as he reached them.

"We ought to get the trunks on the train," he said.

Samantha nodded and, after giving her brother one last look, turned and made her way to where their trunks were waiting to be loaded onto the train. Sirius gave Adrien a nod before turning to follow her, but the other man grabbed hold of his arm to stop him. Sirius turned back with a raised eyebrow.

"I wanted to thank you," Adrien said quietly. "For all you've been trying to do for her. I also wanted to ask you to watch out for her at Hogwarts. I've already asked the same for James. He's going to send me letters to let me know what's going on. But…" He hesitated. "You've been spending the most time with her. I'd appreciate it if you sent me an owl every now and then as well. Just to let me know how she's doing."

Sirius nodded. "Of course."

Adrien gave him a small smile and shook his hand before Sirius moved to join Samantha. She did not seem to notice that Sirius had hung back to speak to her brother. She was pulling out her wand, which had been recovered from her home, to levitate the trunks. Gently, Sirius pushed it back down.

"Let me."

He levitated both of their trunks in the air before wrapping his free arm around her shoulders and leading her towards the train. Sirius caught a glimpse of Evan Rosier, standing not too far away, conversing with his usual group of Slytherins. When they passed, Rosier's eyes slid to them, and a satisfied smirk spread across his lips. Sirius glared threateningly at him, tightening his arm around Samantha's shoulder. She hadn't noticed the exchange, but she did not seem to notice much these days.

Lily was standing with James as he levitated both of their trunks, and she watched Sirius lead Samantha to the train with a bemused expression.

"Are they together again, James?" she asked, already knowing the answer would be no. She would have known otherwise.

James shook his head. "No, but they might as well be. Half the time he's slept in the guest bedroom with her and the other half I've woken up to find she's wandered in sometime during the night. He's been taking care of her; she's rarely out of his sight."

A small smile spread across her lips and she leaned into his side, her green eyes looking up at him.

"So there's hope?"

James looked down at her and returned her smile. "There just might be," he replied.

They all attempted to act normal on the train ride back to Hogwarts. James had asked them to act as if nothing had changed. Samantha spent most of the ride silently staring out of the window as she listened to the conversation around her. Sirius could tell she was more relaxed in the company of her friends, but he wondered what she would be like at Hogwarts, where the stares and whispers of the other students were sure to follow her through the corridors. He supposed he'd just have to wait and see, and deal with it as it came.

* * *

The professors dove right into their curriculums as soon as the students returned to classes, much to the dismay of the seventh years. Most of their time was spent either in the library or common room, hunched over their textbooks as they attempted to make a dent in the mountain of homework that seemed to appear before them overnight. Whenever it seemed that they were finally making progress in getting their homework done, more work was added to the load as the professors tried to cram as much information in as possible before their N.E.W.T. exams.

With every day that passed, Sirius found himself worrying more for Samantha. She was just as withdraw as she had been in the days following her family's deaths. She rarely spoke. In class, she seemed to be far away from the classroom, and when she was doing her homework, she was zoned out half of the time. The professors, understanding what she was going through, gave her a bit of leeway, but they could only be so lenient. Her grades began slipping, and Sirius worried that she would not make the grades she needed to become a healer. She also was not sleeping, or at least that's what the dark circles under her eyes suggested. And though Sirius made sure she showed up to nearly every meal, she only picked at her food.

James finally began to show signs of stress from the amount of responsibility he had. The last term, he had been able to handle juggling being captain of the quidditch team, his Head Boy duties, and the large amounts of homework. But adding how much he spent worrying about Samantha tipped the scales in the wrong direction, and for the first time, it was obvious he was spreading himself thin. By the second week of term, Sirius had taken over sending regular letters to Adrien in an attempt to help James. Remus accompanied Lily on patrols James was supposed to do. They were small gestures, but they were enough to lift a lot off of James's shoulders.

"Don't forget we've got an extra-long practice this Saturday, Padfoot," James said to him one night mid-way through their second week back at school.

The four Marauders were sprawled in front of the fire, working on a particularly long assignment for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lily and Amber were seated across the common room, working on a separate assignment. Samantha had already disappeared upstairs for the night. The other Gryffindor students had become very cautious around her, and as a result, she avoided the common room as much as she could.

"How could I forget?" Sirius asked him, not bothering to look up from his textbook. "You've reminded me five times at least. And that was only today."

"I most certainly have not," James denied, a frown on his face.

"Actually," Peter began, but his mouth snapped closed with one sharp glance from James.

"Sod off, Wormtail," he snapped, his attention turning back to his essay. He furiously wrote a sentence, the ink blotting in several spots because of the pressure he was putting on his quill.

Remus, Peter, and Sirius exchanged glances. James had been easier to anger lately, and though they were doing their best to not anger him, they hadn't quite figured out what would set him off and what would not.

Remus cleared his throat and hastily changed the subject. "Someone's staring at you, Sirius."

Frowning, Sirius followed Remus's gaze across the common room. Morgan was seated in a chair talking to a few sixth year girls. Her gaze kept flicking over their shoulders towards him, but as soon as she noticed he was looking, her gaze moved away. Scowling, Sirius turned away. James, suddenly pleasant again in the subject change, grinned.

"Girl troubles, Padfoot?"

Sirius's glare fell on James. "Only if your definition of girl troubles is a girl not leaving you alone no matter how much you ignore her."

"I think he's only been on the other end of that," Peter said, leaning forward in his seat.

His comment earned a snort from Remus and a glare from James. But he did not argue, because he was well aware it was true. But it did not matter anymore since Lily Evans was now his girlfriend.

"She was practically snogging you at breakfast the other morning," James said.

"And I told her to get off."

"You weren't as firm as you normally would be," Remus spoke up. "You would have shoved her any other day. When she didn't listen, you just ignored her until she got bored and left."

Sirius shrugged. "It worked, didn't it? Besides, Sam was right there. I didn't want to cause a scene."

Silence fell between them as it normally did when they were reminded of their friend's current state. It did not last long, however, before James's eyes suddenly lit up.

"That's it, isn't it?" he asked excitedly.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "What are you on about, Prongs?"

"The reason you're back to not wanting anything to do with Morgan. It's because of Sam. Is there something going on between the two of you again?"

"No!" Sirius replied much too quickly. The other three Marauders leaned towards him eagerly.

"Go on then," Peter urged him. "Tell us."

Sirius shot him a sharp glance. "She's not exactly in any state of mind for there to be anything going on, is she?" he asked them.

James deflated, but it was short lived as Remus said, "I sense a 'but' there."

Sirius sighed. He'd known it would come out sooner or later.

"We kissed," he told them, and immediately James's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "The day after Christmas."

That day would always be 'The day the Dawsons died' in his mind, but he could not bring himself to say it out loud.

"You kissed her after her family died?" James asked incredulously.

"It wasn't like that," Sirius snapped. "It just sort of happened. It was quick. After she told me it wasn't a good time. Which, of course, it wasn't. Isn't'."

A realization suddenly dawned in James's eyes, and he looked so excited that Sirius leaned away from him a bit.

"That night Lily and I stumbled upon you guys after Slughorn's party. The two of you were about to snog, weren't you?"

Sirius only looked at him and, James bounced on the cushion of his chair. "I can't believe it," he said animatedly. "The two of you nearly snogged. Why didn't you go through with it?"

Sirius gave him a long flat look before saying, "Oh, I don't know. Perhaps because some dimwit felt the need to interrupt."

James's lips formed a silent 'O' and he sank back in his chair, his enthusiasm gone. Sirius, not liking that all of the attention had been on him, quickly changed the subject.

"So, Moony," he said casually enough, earning a mistrusting look from Remus. "I've noticed you've been going on a lot of patrols with Leah Barnes lately."

Remus's cheeks instantly colored. Lean Barnes was a sixth year Hufflepuff. When she had become a prefect, she and Remus had hit it off instantly and had become quick friends. They spent a lot of time studying together in the library, and they took patrols together when they could. She was a cute girl with straight, dark brown hair and green eyes. Sirius had been trying to get Remus to ask her on a date for months.

"We're just patrolling together," he murmured softly, not quite meeting Sirius's gaze. "We always have."

"But you've also been patrolling with Lily," James spoke up.

"Yet you seem to be patrolling with Leah just as much as you always do," Peter finished.

Under their stares, Remus's cheeks reddened further. "I'm patrolling with Lily to fill in for James. I'm taking on extra patrols, not replacing what I would normally do."

Sirius studied the werewolf closely. What he said was true, of course, but he seemed rather uncomfortable with their questions.

"The two of you have been snogging," he declared, his eyes glinting. "Well done, Moony old chap."

Remus attempted to stammer out a denial, but they knew him too well. His stammers fell on deaf ears. After that, James began to excitedly tell him that he had to ask her on a date now. Peter agreed, and Remus looked terrified just at the thought of it. Sirius watched them silently. He'd hoped something else would come out of Remus's friendship with Leah for a while now. He constantly worried that Remus, bearing his secret, would never find the courage for romance. But Leah was different, and Sirius believed that after time, she could be ready for Remus's secret. Remus needed someone he could trust, someone who would stay by his side no matter what.

It was far too early to know if Leah was the one, of course, but Sirius couldn't help but hope. He only wanted the best for his friends.

The evening ended with Remus reluctantly agreeing to ask Leah on a date. He refused to say when, claiming he wished to wait for the right moment. James and Peter were quick to tell him that they would make sure he didn't try to back out of it. By the look on Remus's face, it was exactly what he had hoped to do.

Sirius promised to help him plan what to say, which seemed to surprise them all. He supposed it was understandable. He hadn't asked many girls on dates and he'd completely mucked up the one that mattered to him. But he was sure Remus would be fine. After all he had been through, no one deserved it more.

* * *

Another week passed.

James and Peter pestered Remus about asking Leah on a date so much that one night while he was patrolling with her, he ended up blurting out that she should accompany him on the Hogsmeade trip the next month. She'd look surprised at first, but a smile had spread across her lips and she'd slid her hand into a stunned Remus's grip, telling him that she would love to go to Hogsmeade with him. When Remus had returned to the dormitory later on that night, they hadn't even had to ask to know what had happened. The look on his face said it all. While James and Peter exclaimed in excitement, Sirius silently clapped Remus on the shoulder, grinning with pride.

Besides Remus finally snagging himself a girl, nothing else really changed. James somehow managed to keep a handle on all of his responsibilities. Sirius helped him as much as he could. He was still writing Adrien letters, and he kept a close eye on Samantha. Her grades were still slipping, and he feared they would drop to the point where she could not recover. She still was not sleeping, and she had lost weight. She was allowing her grief to consumer her, and despite how badly Sirius wanted to help, her he had no idea how.

Early one Friday morning towards the end of January, Sirius and Samantha were seated in the Great Hall for breakfast. It was early; not many students had wandered down yet. Classes did not start for a couple of hours yet. Since Samantha did not sleep much these days, she had taken to going down into the common room early in the mornings after she had given up on sleep to work on homework while the common room was empty. It did not take Sirius long to pick up on this pattern, and he'd taken to getting up to go sit with her. He'd spend time helping her with her homework, and then he would take her down to an early breakfast where he could pester her about eating without making her uncomfortable about prying eyes.

Currently, he was reading the over the Daily Prophet, something he'd taken to doing in the silence. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Samantha absentmindedly push the eggs he had put on her plate around with a fork.

"Sam," he said eventually, reaching across the table to take her hand. She jumped at his touch and brought her gaze up to meet his. "You've got to eat something," he pleaded softly.

She shook her head. "I'm not hungry," she replied quietly.

Sirius sighed and dropped the Daily Prophet on the table. He reached for a bowl of fruit and pulled it closer before spooning a small portion onto her plate. "Eat this at least."

She complied with his request silently, spearing a piece of fruit with her fork and popping it in her mouth before chewing it slowly. He knew she only cooperated because she knew he wouldn't leave her alone until she ate something. As long as it got something in her stomach, he did not care. Breakfasts were the worst. At lunch and dinner, she usually picked at her food on her own to avoid him asking her in front of the others.

Sirius watched her for a moment before he picked the Daily Prophet back up, satisfied his request was being carried out. When he turned the page, he found an article about the Dawsons' deaths. It said that Aurors still had not managed to figure out how the Death Eaters had gotten past the defenses, nor had they so far been able to pin the massacre down on any certain Death Eater. A few days after the funeral, the Aurors had questioned Samantha to try and figure out what had happened. She'd told him Lucius Malfoy had been the one to attack her and that she'd thought she'd heard Bellatrix downstairs, but they'd said that it wasn't enough. They'd said that it had all happened so fast, that she'd been in shock when she'd arrived at the Potters, that she could be mistaken. She'd been upset after that and Sirius had been angry that they did not consider her word enough.

His hands clenched the paper tightly. Samantha had told them who she had seen, but they'd as good as ignored her. Adrien was the only one who had taken her seriously, but he was still in training, and there was not anything he could do. Sirius turned the page again without saying anything to her about it. She didn't need to know. The longer they went without any leads, the more likely it was that they would never be able to pin it on anyone.

Not long after, students began to trickle into the hall. James and Lily strode in, hand-in-hand. James seated himself beside Samantha, who greeted him with a half-hearted smile. Lily sat on James's other side. Remus, Peter, and Amber joined them not long after.

Since it was the weekend, they talked about what they would do for their two days off from classes. Most of their time would unfortunately be taken up by homework, but James insisted that they spend at least a little time planning a prank for the Slytherins. Lily rolled her eyes, but did not say anything.

Towards the end of breakfast, the owl post came swooping in. Letters were dropped in front of both Sirius and Samantha. Sirius glanced at Samantha's letter and saw that it was from Adrien. Adrien wrote his sister every chance he got, nearly every day. He rarely got a reply, but Samantha read every single letter, and that was good enough for her brother. Adrien sent him frequent letters as well, and thinking his letter was from him as well, he turned it over. He felt a sudden urge to rip the letter in half when he saw his name written on the envelope in very familiar handwriting.

He resisted the urge to rip the letter, however, curious to see what his mother had to say to him nearly two years after he left home and was blasted off of the family tree. He tucked the letter into his robes before anyone questioned him about it and cleared his throat.

"I've left something I need in the common room," he said, pushing himself to his feet. "I'll meet you in class."

James waved him away, and Sirius strode out of the Great Hall, glad that they had not asked questions. He had not missed Samantha's curious glance, however, and he could feel her gaze burning his back as he left. He realized that she probably had been noticing more these days than what he had been giving her credit for.

He climbed the main staircase and headed down the corridor, making several turns until he was in a place that he was sure he would not be disturbed by students heading to classes. He opened the envelop and sliding the parchment out, he unfolded it, bracing himself before he began to read.

The first few sentences were surprisingly cordial. She inquired as to how the second half of his seventh year was going, though it sounded a lot like Walburga and not as much like a caring mother. She also informed him that Orion had begun to decline in health, something that did not quite surprise Sirius; his father hadn't looked particularly healthy when he had left home. Growing impatient as to the real reason she had written, he began to skim over the letter. He found the reason halfway down the parchment, and his hands clenched the paper so tightly that the parchment wrinkled.

His mother had written to tell him that it was not too late to redeem himself. He could abandon his friends and follow his brother's example, joining an honorable cause. He mind automatically latched onto the words 'honorable cause'. Death Eaters. His little brother had joined the Death Eaters.

Anger welled up inside him. He'd know it was coming, but a part of him had hoped that maybe Regulus would end up not going through with it. That hope was dead now. He would have gone to seek Regulus out then if the bell hadn't rung., telling the students that it was time to head to the first class of the day. Stuffing the letter into his robes a scowl on his face, he strode down the corridor to meet James in Muggle Studies. When he seated himself beside James, the other boy turned and gave him a questioning look, asking him if he was okay. Sirius shook his head and told him it was nothing, ignoring the unbelieving look James gave him in return. He allowed the subject to drop, however, at least for the remainder of the class.

For the rest of the day, Sirius had to dodge questions from his friends. They knew him well enough to know that he was upset about something, but he would not tell them what. He didn't want to say anything to them about it, at least not until he got a chance to talk to his brother. Even Samantha gave him a questioning glance at lunch. He'd been tempted to tell her, but he couldn't. He couldn't tell her that his brother had joined the very ones that had murdered her family.

It was not until dinner that Sirius was able to finally corner his brother. He'd been busy chatting with Peter when Regulus rising from the Slytherin table across the hall had caught his eye. He watched his brother stride out of the hall alone. Giving some excuse to his friends, which earned him more confused and concerned looks that he pointedly ignored, he hurried to follow him.

He caught up to his brother in the dungeons, not far from the Slytherin common room. When Sirius called his name, for a moment he thought he would go ignored, but Regulus finally turned to face him, a scowl on his face.

"What do you want?" Regulus asked him, crossing his arms across his chest.

Though they occasionally passed each other in the hall, this was the first time Sirius had spoken to his little brother in months. He'd once thought that if they ever spoke again, the first thing he would do was ask him if he was doing alright. Before they had grown apart, they had spent a lot of time together. But tonight, Sirius got right to the point.

"Is what mother told me true?" Sirius asked, pulling out the letter that he had kept in his robes throughout the day.

"That depends," Regulus replied. "What exactly did mother tell you?"

"Don't" Sirius snapped, his voice rising. "Don't you act as if you have no idea what I'm talking about. Did you think she wouldn't write me to brag? Her little prince, doing whatever he can to please his precious mum. Tell me, Reggie, was it worth it?"

"Was what worth it?"

Sirius did not know if Regulus was being ignorant on purpose or not, but either way, something inside him snapped.

"Was it worth it," Sirius shouted, his face reddening in anger, his eyes darkening. "Was it worth selling your soul to the darkest wizard our world has ever seen to please mother!"

Regulus's eyes narrowed, and though most would have shrunk back when facing the fury of Sirius Black, he did not seemed concerned at all.

"Serving the Dark Lord is an honor. An honor that someone with your blood should yearn to have."

"I would rather die," Sirius spat at him, "Then serve his cause!"

"And you're just as bad as the rest of the blood traitors!" Regulus snapped at him. "Stay out of the Dark Lord's way, Sirius," he warned. Sirius might have though the warning was a form of worry, a way of his brother trying to protect him. But then a sneer played across Regulus's lips as he said, "You've seen what will happen to those who oppose him."

Sirius's breath caught in his throat, and it was in that moment that he realized that he had no idea who his brother was anymore. He certainly was not the boy he had grown up with, the boy he had taught how to sneak undetected down to the kitchen in the middle of the night, how to talk himself out of trouble if he was caught by their parents.

"The Dark Lord's not pleased," Regulus continued, a glint in his eye that seemed to be amusement as he watched his older brother. "They were supposed to dispose of the entire family."

Sirius did not remember moving, but the next thing he was aware of was slamming Regulus against the wall, his left hand fisted in the front of his robes while his right held his want to his brother's throat.

"I don't give a damn what you do with your life, Regulus," Sirius snarled. "But if you or your friends come anywhere near her, the fact that you're my brother won't stop me from killing you myself."

A grin spread across Regulus's face. "Such strong words," he jeered. "Spoken just like a Death Eater."

Sirius slammed him into the wall again, his wand pressing deeper into his throat.

"I will never be like them," he snarled, his eyes dangerous. "And no matter what you tell yourself, you're not like them either."

Sirius shoved Regulus away from before turning on his heel and stalking back down the corridor. He half expected Regulus to call something after him, but his brother remained silent.

Sirius did not return to the common room for a while after that. He continued to furiously storm through the corridors, students quickly moving aside when they saw him coming. Gradually, his stride slowed down until he was wandering the corridors idly. He had no idea how long he walked around, but when his wanderings led him to the Portrait of the Fat Lady, he gave her the password and ducked inside. His friends were in a corner, bent over textbooks. They'd obviously been looking for him, because their heads snapped up when he entered. He ignored them and made his way to the staircase. Luckily , they did not follow. He had a huge pile of homework that he should have worked on, but instead he changed into his pajamas and closed the curtains around his bed. It was a long time before sleep found him; after his friends had come upstairs and gone to bed themselves. He could not get his mind to shut off. But eventually, he fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

_Sirius dreamed he was drowning. _

_Water filled his lungs, and despite his best efforts, he could not break the surface of the water. A figure appeared above him, and Sirius squinted to try and make out who it was. Surprise then relief shot through him when he realized it was his brother. Regulus was family; no matter how they felt toward each other, his brother would not let him drown. _

_ But Regulus did not move. He only smirked down at his brother, his hands shoved in the pockets of his robes, a dangerous glint in his eye. In his shock, Sirius stopped fighting to break the surface, and he slowly sunk deeper and deeper until the depths swallowed him. _

_ His world shifted, and suddenly Sirius was no longer drowning, but standing over the water. Regulus looked up at him from beneath the water's surface, his hair fanning around his pale face. His hand reached out towards Sirius, his fingers stretching to reach. Sirius remembered that Regulus had not made a move to help him, but that did not stop him from falling on his knees and reaching for his brother. But it seemed that no matter how far he stretched, how much he flexed his fingers, he could not reach his little brother, and he watched as he sank deeper, deeper…_

_ Regulus's image suddenly wavered, and Sirius found himself staring at Samantha. Her mouth was open as if she was surprised, her blue eyes wide, her long hair floating around her. Her hand was stretched towards him just as Regulus's had been. _

_ Sirius plunged his hand down further so that the water came up to his shoulder, stretching his fingers to the point that they ached. He still could not reach. He attempted to dive after her, but it was as if his feet were glued to the ground. He was forced to watch as she sank deeper into the water until she was swallowed by the darkness. _

Sirius shot up in bed, gasping for breath. His body was coated with sweat, and he glanced around frantically, unsure of where he was for a moment. It only took a few seconds for his brain to register that he was in his bed at Hogwarts. He could still feel the pressure of the water surrounding him; his fingers ached from where he had stretched them.

He collapsed back onto his pillows, his breathing still labored, his gaze on the ceiling. He'd hoped he would calm down as his body realized that it was just a dream, that he would become tired and be able to go back asleep. But the dream left him feeling restless and he eventually ended up throwing his blankets off of himself, opening his curtains, and rising from his bed.

Rubbing his eyes, he slowly made his way down the stairs, thinking that sitting in front of the fire for a little would make him tired enough to go back to sleep. He'd been hoping to be alone, but when he stepped into the common room and found Samantha seated on the sofa before the fire, he found he was glad that she was up.

She was seated cross-legged, her gaze on the dying flames of the fireplace. When he sat himself beside her, she turned to look at him.

"What are you doing up?" she asked him quietly.

He shrugged. "I had a nightmare." He grinned at her, attempting to put her at ease. "Nothing special, but I thought I'd come down here for a while."

She did not seem to believe his nonchalant tone, and her eyes narrowed the slightest bit.

"Are you alright, Sirius?" she asked him.

He shook his head at her. "Don't you do that," he told her. "Don't worry about me. You've got enough on your mind already to be worrying about me."

She bit her lip, and her concern deepened. Before she could say anything, he sighed and reached out to squeeze her hand. "I'm fine, Sam," he lied, because he was not ready to talk about it. She did not look as if she believed him, so he changed the subject. "What did Adrien say today?"

It was her turn to shrug, and she turned her gaze back onto the flickering flames, the reflection of the fire shining in her blue eyes. "He told me they still haven't figured out how the Death Eaters managed to get through the protective charms," she told him softly. "And that they still haven't made any arrests."

Sirius had hidden the information from her, but it was Adrien's decision whether to tell her or not. She had to be more upset about it than she was letting on. His hand was still resting upon hers, and he squeezed it again, his thumb rubbing it reassuringly.

"They'll figure it out," he promised her.

She shrugged again, not looking as if she believed him.

They sat there for a long time in silence. Eventually he said, "You ought to reply to Adrien more.. He worries for you."

She pulled away from him. "And what am I supposed to say? That I'm okay that the Aurors didn't listen to me when I told them who was there?"

"Just that you're okay would be enough."

"Am I okay?" she asked him, taking him by surprise.

Instead of answering, he placed his hand beneath her chin, tilting her head back so that he could get a good look at her face.

"When's the last time you slept?"

She shook her head, because she truly did not know.

He sighed deeply. "Madame Pomfrey would give you a sleeping draught," he told her. "Or a dreamless sleep potion if you needed."

"I don't want to take potions," she said stubbornly.

He sighed again. "Fine. Lie down then."

Her brow furrowed as she stared at him. "What?"

"Lie down," he repeated.

She stared at him a moment longer before complying, slowly unfolding her legs and moving them down the sofa. As she stretched out, he did as well, stretching his legs down the length of the sofa. When they were both lying down, it was a tight fit. His back pressed into the back of the sofa, and he pulled her against him before tightly wrapping his arms around her so that she would not fall. She was tense at first, but slowly, she relaxed. He rested his head against her own.

"Now close your eyes," he whispered in her ear. He gave her a moment to comply before saying, "Concentrate on your breathing. Make it match mine." He took deep, slow breaths.

Her breathing adjusted so that her chest rose and fell along with his. It did not take long at all until she was breathing deeply in sleep. He smiled, glad that she was finally resting. His own eyes grew heavy, and making sure his arms remained tight around her, he allowed himself to fall into sleep. He dreamed he was flying.

When James woke up a few hours later to use the loo, a weak light was streaming in through the windows. He glanced at Sirius's bed as he headed back to his own, and paused, furrowing his brow when he saw the curtains open, the bed deserted. Curious, he moved out of the room and headed down the stairs. He found Sirius and Samantha asleep on the couch, and he glanced around the common room. No one else had come downstairs. Yet.

"Padfoot," he whispered, kneeling down and reaching over Samantha to shake Sirius's shoulder. "Padfoot, wake up."

Sirius groaned and shifted. His eyes opened slowly, and he stared at James groggily.

"Prongs? What are you doing?"

"Getting you up," James replied. "Unless you'd like to lie down here for the entire house to find you. There's no telling what rumors would spread."

"I don't care what anyone else thinks," Sirius grumbled in response.

"But Sam doesn't need that on top of everything else."

That, Sirius could not argue with, and with a groan, he pushed himself up, untangling himself from Samantha and standing from the sofa, careful to not allow her to fall.

"Sammie," his whispered, gently shaking her.

The nickname slipped out. Sirius did not seem to have noticed, but James did. His mind latched onto the word as he watched Sirius wake Samantha. Her eyes slid open.

"Sirius?" she breathed, not quite awake.

"Let's go upstairs," he told her. She nodded and pushed herself up. Sirius helped her, holding onto her as she stood. She was half asleep and unsteady on her feet, and he supported her as they climbed the stairs behind James.

He led her straight to his bed, and she was quick to lie down and curl up. He was right behind her, pulling the curtain around the bed. After, he cast a silencing charm. He did not want her to be woken up. He wanted her to get as much sleep as possible. When he laid down, she turned and curled against him, falling back to sleep nearly instantly. He was quick to follow. Neither one of them were plagued by nightmares.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	30. Chapter Thirty

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**I'm going to try hard to stay on an every other Sunday update schedule. I'm really busy the next few weeks with exams all ending up together but hopefully I don't fall behind.**

**A huge thanks to both my reviewers and silent readers. You guys are awesome. And I love hearing your feedback!**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Thirty

Sirius and Samantha slept well into the morning. By the time they woke up, Samantha could go downstairs without anyone suspecting that she had stayed the night up there. She looked rested for the first time in weeks, and because of that, she was a little more talkative and alert. She and Sirius spent the afternoon doing homework together, and when the time came for quidditch practice, Samantha and Lily went down to the pitch with them to watch despite of the cold.

Another couple of weeks passed, and soon enough, it was time for the quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. The morning of the game dawned cold but clear. James and Sirius, clad in their quidditch robes, went down to breakfast early to discuss any last minute ideas for how they could stay ahead of Slytherin in the game. With the Slytherin team consisting of players such as Wilkes and Rosier, the team was particularly brutal and often resorted to tactics that earned faults if seen by Madam Hooch. When playing against Slytherin, one had to stay focused and on their toes to avoid injury.

Sirius was trying to act like his heart was in the game, but the truth was that it wasn't. He hoped James could not notice. Luckily the other boy seemed too distracted with the game that was to come. Regulus rarely left Sirius's mind these days. He hated him for the cause he had joined, but at the same time, he worried for him. It was dangerous, promising your allegiance to the Dark Lord. Something told him that nothing good would come of it.

Eventually, the two remaining Marauders joined them, followed not long after by the three girls. Samantha gave Sirius a small smile as she sat beside him, which he returned earnestly. These days she seemed to spend less time walking around as if in a daze. They weren't sure exactly what had changed, and though she was far from being back to normal, Sirius hoped that maybe Samantha was on the road to feeling better. She still did not eat much, however, and though her grades stopped slipping, they did not improve either. There was still a terrible sadness about her that kept Sirius and James worried. Sirius knew James was hopeful, so he did not tell him that he was certain the sudden change was an act. Because maybe one day it would not be one.

The topic of conversation shifted from ways to beat Slytherin to the upcoming coming game in general and various other topics. Sirius had become used to reading the Daily Prophet at breakfast and had it opened before him as he nibbled on some toast. Neither he nor James ever had much of an appetite the morning before a big match.

"How big of a party do you think we'll have tonight?" James asked.

"You haven't won the game yet, James," Lily replied, though she was smiling.

Peter and Remus began making plans to sneak to Hogsmeade for butterbeer and sweets should Gryffindor win. Amber had moved down the table at this point to talk to a few of the other guys on the team.

As Sirius skimmed the Prophet, he paused at a mention of Samantha's family. They hadn't been mentioned in weeks as there hadn't been any change in the investigation. This article was different than when they were normally mentioned. It was primarily about a woman at the Ministry named Umbridge. Sirius had heard of her. She'd been trying to work her way up into power, trying to put restrictive laws on mixed races and there had been rumors going around that she wanted muggle-borns to receive the same treatment. The current minister, Windsor, didn't like her, but she'd managed to gain the attention of many who shared the same views, or at least felt threatened by half-breeds. Even without the Minister's support, she was beginning to gain momentum.

Samantha's family was only mentioned briefly. They'd been hugely outspoken against the woman, especially her father and mother. They'd quickly put their family on Umbridge's list of people that she loathed. With the Dawson's being such an influential family, they had managed to slow down her support. But with them gone, who knew what would happen now.

Sirius thought about saying something, but he glanced at Samantha who was picking at her food as she spoke to Lily and Remus. He hated to bring her family up when she was beginning to act more like herself, even if she was only pretending. Folding the paper up, he decided to keep it to himself, at least for now.

"Well," James started to say, gaining Sirius's attention. Whatever he'd been able to say was interrupted by a loud eruption of voices across the Great Hall and James turned in his seat to look towards the Slytherin table where it seemed the quidditch team was rousing their house into a battle cry, their determination to win evident.

"Looks like it's going to be a tough match," Sirius said as James turned around, grumbling under his breath.

"We can't lost to them," James told him. "Not two years in a row."

"No we can't," Sirius agreed. "We're just going to have to play our hardest."

James nodded, a determined glint in his eye, as he took a sip out of his goblet of orange juice as the conversation shifted back to the upcoming game.

"We should be heading to the pitch, too," James said a few minutes later as he eyed the Slytherin team, where now leaving the Great Hall. "I need to give the team a monumental pre-game speech."

Taking one last drink from his goblet, James stood, gesturing to the rest of the team, who were scattered down the table. Lily stood and grabbed hold of James's hand, pulling him closer. Rising on her toes, she gave him a quick kiss before pulling away with a smile.

"For luck," she told him.

James returned her smile, squeezing her hand, leaning down to give her another kiss. It lasted much longer, and was only broken up when Sirius said "Prongs? Don't you have a monumental speech to give?"

James and Lily broke apart, Lily's face flaming.

"Right," James said. "Monumental speech." He cleared his throat. "Let's go kick some Slytherin arse!"

He began to head out of the Great Hall, his team trailing behind him, and he let out a loud whoop before he entered the Entrance Hall.

Sirius lingered and Samantha gave him a look.

"You know, if you're late, we're all going to have to hear about it later."

"I'm going, I'm going," Sirius said, making to swing his leg over the bench. Before he got up, he paused, and turned back to her. "It'll be a shame if we lose," he said to her. "Maybe I need one of those good luck kisses, too."

The tease had come naturally. She'd been acting more like herself lately that for a moment he'd forgotten that she was still fragile. He realized as soon as he said it that he'd overstepped a boundary that he shouldn't have. He'd opened his mouth to apologize when she surprised him by giving him a small smile.

"I didn't think you really believed in luck," she teased.

Following her lead, he replied, "It wouldn't hurt."

He nearly expected her to allow it, but then she said, "How about we make a deal."

He feigned disappointment, though he'd be lying if he'd said he wasn't disappointed. "That's a nice way of saying no."

She shook her head. "I was going to say that if you won, I'd give you a victory kiss."

Stunned, Sirius stared at her for a moment, Recovering, he held out his hand. "Shake on it or I won't trust you to not back out of it."

Smile growing slightly, she reached out and shook his hand, sealing the deal. Grinning, Sirius told her that he'd see her after the game so that he could claim his prize before he strode from the hall. Samantha turned to find her friends staring at her, and her gaze dropped to the table.

"Shut up," she muttered.

They did not tease her. She knew it was only because they were still scared to offend her. She wished they wouldn't do that. She was not as fragile as they treated her. They'd just seen the conversation she'd had with Sirius. She'd promised him a kiss. She worried that maybe she was not fooling anyone as easily as she thought. She was tired of them all worrying for her, so she was trying hard to make it seem as if she were getting better. But the truth was that every time she was reminded of her family, there was a sharp pain in her gut that left her breathless. It was exhausting, pretending that she was okay when she was far from it. She'd hate to realize that it wasn't even worth it, that they could see right through her act.

Before long, it was time to head to the game. Lily looped her arm through Samantha's as they made their way to the pitch, wondering aloud who would win the game. Samantha held a conversation with her, pretending that she was still feeling alright. But as they got closer to the pitch and the roar of the crowd, the more she wished she could just go curl up in her bed.

* * *

Slytherin was winning 210 to 80. Gryffindor had been playing their hardest, but so had Slytherin, and despite the exceptional skills of the Gryffindor team, the brutality of the Slytherins was proving hard for them to overcome; a couple of the Gryffindors had suffered minor injuries from the opposing team, though not yet enough to keep them from playing. The injuries had led to the Gryffindors being able to make foul shots, but the damage was already done and it was beginning to affect their performance. Amethyst Wischard, one of the chasers, was sporting a sprained wrist and James had been hit particularly hard in the chest by a bludger, which had knocked the wind out of him and he had yet to fully catch his breath in the heat of the game. But Gryffindor was determined and they were slowly making a comeback. Their seeker, Matthew Olmstead, was constantly on the lookout for the snitch while keeping an eye on Regulus Black, who was Slytherin's seeker, to make sure he hadn't caught sight of the snitch. Sirius and Reed were working hard to keep the two bludgers away from Matthew; Slytherin's two beaters, Wilkes and a particularly brawny sixth year, were focusing their attention on trying to take out Gryffindor's seeker.

Sirius was doing his best to keep his mind on the match. With the way Slytherin was playing, it was dangerous to be distracted. But he could not help it. His brother had been avoiding him ever since their conversation. This was the closest they had been since then, and Sirius was supposed to be hitting bludgers at him. He did what was expected to, of course, but he couldn't help but be worried. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately, between Samantha and his brother. Samantha was trying hard to put on a brave face, but she was trying too hard, and he could see it. He hated that she felt she needed to.

A bludger cut close to him, snapping his mind back into the match. James shouted something at him about paying attention. Gritting his teeth, Sirius willed his mind to stop wandering. Just until this match was over. They had to win this game.

It was a long while before Matthew finally caught sight of the snitch. Slytherin had scored two more times and Gryffindor once when Matthew suddenly took his Comet Two-Sixty into a dive from where he had been rather high in the air. There was an uproar from the stands at the tell-tale sign that Matthew had caught sight of the snitch. Regulus caught on quickly, and took his broom into a dive as well, trying his hardest to catch up. He began to quickly catch up, but Matthew was already stretching his hand out to capture the golden ball. Wilkes, seeing that Regulus was not going to get there in time, hit a bludger towards Matthew, setting it on a perfect track towards his outstretched arm. Matthew, his attention only on the snitch, did not see it coming. But at the last second, Sirius was there to hit the bludger off course and a moment later, the stands erupted in cheers from the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs as Matthew's hand enclosed around the snitch.

James punched his hand in the air as he released a loud victory cry. Sirius high-fived Reed, grinning widely. He turned towards the stands and sought Samantha out. He found her quickly, standing between Lily and Remus and he flashed her a grin, pointing at her to silently tell her that he would hold her to their deal. He did not see Wilkes, angry with the outcome of the game, hit a bludger towards him, furious that Sirius had stopped his attempt to take out Matthew. Sirius only had time to frown at the sudden stunned look that passed over Samantha's face before a horribly sharp pain exploded in the back of his head, forcing his body to bend forward. The grip on his broomstick slackened as his vision began to swim. He felt himself begin to fall before everything went dark.

* * *

The first thing he noticed as he slowly moved back to awareness was that he felt as if he had been run over by a group of stampeding hippogriffs. His whole body felt as heavy as lead. It ached all over and for some reason, the back of his head was throbbing fiercely. He lay there for a moment, and slowly came to realize that he was lying on something extremely soft. He recognized that softness. It was a bed in the Hospital Wing. Fantastic.

As he became aware of his surroundings, he could hear the low hum of voices, though he couldn't tell who they belonged to or what they were saying; they were soft and his mind was still sluggish. He shifted slightly, wincing at the sharp pain that shot through his body, particularly his head. The voices quieted.

"Sirius?"

It took some effort, but he was finally able to pry his eyes open. He was met with the sight of James leaning over him.

"Bloody hell Prongs," he muttered. "There are some things people should never be subjected to waking up to, and your face definitely tops that list."

James's eyes narrowed, but his face broke out into a grin. "If he can still make jokes, I suppose he's going to live."

"Who said it was a joke?" Sirius asked, managing to match James's grin.

James scowled and sat back, giving Sirius a better view of his surroundings. Sure enough, he recognized the walls of the Hospital Wing. Remus and Peter were also gathered around his bed. Sirius glanced around for Samantha, but she was not there. He frowned.

"Where's Sam? She owes me a kiss."

Remus chuckled. "She's in the common room. Madame Pomfrey would only let so many of us stay. She said we were crowding the Hospital Wing too much."

Sirius's frowned deepened. "And why exactly am I in here again?"

"You don't remember?" James asked in disbelief.

"Well, he did suffer a head injury," Peter pointed out.

"A head injury?" Sirius echoed. That explained the fact that his head felt as if it was about to split open.

"Yeah, Wilkes got you right in the back of the head with a bludger," Peter said. "Right after Olmstead caught the snitch."

"Son of a…" Sirius muttered under his breath.

"The worst part," James spoke up, "Is that since it happened right after the snitch was caught, Wilkes easily claimed that he didn't realize that the game was over until after he hit the bludger. It's bloody bollocks if you ask me. But he was just told to try to pay more attention to when the end-of-game whistle is blown next time."

Sirius scowled. He couldn't believe Madame Hooch had bought into that story.

"How long have I been in here?"

"A few hours," Remus replied.

"Finally awake I see."

They all glanced over as Madame Pomfrey exited her office and headed to the bed, placing her hands on her hips as she gave Sirius a stern look.

"You boys are all in this Hospital Wing far too much."

Sirius grinned at her. "But then you'd miss our company."

Madame Pomfrey tutted and shook her head. "How are you feeling, Mr. Black?"

Sirius shifted and winced again. "A bit sore," he admitted.

"That's not a surprise. You took a nasty fall. Not to mention that blow to the head."

"But I can leave, right?" Sirius asked hopefully. "I've got a party to get to."

"Not for a while yet," she replied sternly. "Head injuries are tricky. They have to heal on their own. I'm afraid you'll be stuck here for at least another day, perhaps two."

Sirius groaned and closed his eyes. Perfect. Just how he'd wanted to spend the rest of his weekend.

"I'll get you a potion for the pain," Madame Pomfrey continued, ignoring Sirius's obvious displeasure about being stuck in the Hospital Wing. "It'll make you get several more hours of sleep. You have to be careful with head injuries. I couldn't give you anything until you woke up on your own."

She strode back to her office to get the potion, calling over her shoulder, "You three best leave. He needs his rest."

"Right," James said, rising to his feet. "We'll let ickle Sirikins get his beauty sleep. You need it mate, face planting in front of the entire school. I'll let you know how the party goes."

"Sod off, Prongs," Sirius said with a glare.

James only grinned at him as Remus and Peter rose to their feet as well.

"We'll be by tomorrow," Remus said as they headed for the door.

"Yeah," Peter said with a smirk. "So get plenty of sleep."

"Stuff it, Wormtail," Sirius grumbled.

Madame Pomfrey returned as the door closed behind them. He took the potion without complaint and the effects were instant. He began to feel drowsy, and in no time at all, he had fallen into a deep sleep.

The next time he woke up, his body didn't ache quite so much. The throbbing in his head had dulled a bit, though he was still scared to move it too much. He opened his eyes and found that he was not alone. Samantha was seated at his bedside, a book in her lap. He couldn't help but smile.

"Shouldn't you be enjoying the party?" he asked her. He had no idea what time it actually was, but he was certain he hadn't slept long enough for the party to have already passed.

She looked up when he spoke and gave him a smile. He nearly winced. She was trying so hard, but it still did not reach her eyes.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him, closing the book with a soft snap.

He attempted to shrug, but his muscles were stiff and protested the movement. "Better than I did when I first woke up," he replied.

She nodded, but the muscles in her face were tight, lines of worry across her face.

"Hey," Sirius said, wiggling his fingers, silently asking for her hand. She hesitated for a moment before complying, slipping her hand in his. He squeezed it gently. "I'm alright," he assured her. "It's just a bump on the head."

She shook her head. "You didn't see yourself fall. And after you hit the ground, you never moved. You looked…" She could not bring herself to say 'dead', but Sirius knew that was the word she was thinking. "James was there first, and then the whole team was surrounding you. We couldn't see anything until they took you away on a stretcher. Instead of following, James came and found us to tell us that you were going to be okay."

"And I am," he replied gently. "A bit sore, but I suppose that's what I get for falling from that height."

"Madame Pomfrey said you broke your arm and nearly all your ribs." She shook her head. "That's rather impressive."

Sirius nodded. Madame Pomfrey had told him that when she'd brought him his potion. Luckily, she'd said, they'd all been clean breaks and she'd been able to heal them easily. It hurt a bit to breathe still, and his arm didn't quite feel like it was part of his body, but he couldn't complain. He was lucky that was all he'd broken.

"I suppose you should have given me that good luck kiss after all," he teased.

Her face paled and he regretted it instantly.

"Don't do that," he said to her quickly. "I was teasing you. The fault is all on Wilkes. And perhaps myself a little. I was a bit distracted during the game today, even at the end."

Her lips turned downward at that. "You've been distracted for a couple of weeks now."

He turned his head away, ignoring the sharp pain he was rewarded with. He stared at the far wall, and without looking, he knew her frown had deepened. He hadn't really wanted to tell his friends about his brother. But several times, when he'd felt the need to talk about it, he'd wanted to go to her. He'd stop himself before he did. She already had enough on her mind as it was.

"You know you can talk to me anytime," Samantha's voice softly said. "I'm still a good listener."

He did not know why he always forgot that she seemed to often know what was going on in his mind. He supposed that it was because they were no longer together. But even when they had been, he'd been amazed at how much she seemed to be able to read his mind. It was an odd thing for him, to not only have someone know him so well, but for him to be so comfortable with it.

When he still did not answer her, she sighed and said, "It's about your brother, isn't it?"

In his surprise, Sirius quickly twisted his head to look back at her. He regretted it instantly. An unbelievably sharp pain shot through his head and then down the rest of his body. He gasped and his vision began to spot. Their hands were still joined and he squeezed hers tightly, hissing between his clenched teeth. He felt her free hand tangle itself in his hair. It moved to help hold his head steady, and the feeling of her fingers brushing against his scalp was pleasant. He stilled, his eyes closed as he took deep breaths.

Running her fingers through his hair, she gently chastised, "You shouldn't move so much."

Cracking his eyes open, he managed a small smile. "S'your fault," he murmured.

"Is it? If you'd stop trying to keep things to yourself, I wouldn't have to pry."

He sighed because it was true. He moved his gaze to the ceiling, and for a long moment, he was silent. Finally, he whispered, "He's joined the Death Eaters."

Her hand stilled. His gaze moved back to her, but she did not seem surprised.

"There's nothing you could have done."

"I could have tried harder to convince him not to...I stopped once I left home for good. I keep telling myself that if I had kept trying, he would have listened."

"Do you really believe that?"

"No," he admitted quietly. "I know he doesn't want to be a Death Eater. Not deep down. He doesn't have it in him. But he's not like me. He could never turn his back on our family like I did. He doesn't resent them as much as I do. He'll do what he can to please him. I suppose he's brave doing that. While I ran away like a coward."

"Not a coward," Samantha disagreed. Her hand was moving through his hair again. "It was brave to do what you did. You left your home not knowing if you'd have anywhere else to go. You gave up your family so that you could be who you are without being talked down to. Not many could do that. That takes courage."

A wistful smile spread across his lips. "You've told me that before."

She smiled down at him. "Then it must be true."

Madame Pomfrey came by then, setting another potion at Sirius's bedside for the pain, telling him to take it in the next few minutes. Sirius pulled a face, but did not complain. The ache in his body was beginning to become uncomfortable.

"You ought to take that," she told him.

"It'll put me to sleep."

"That's probably a good thing," she replied. "You look exhausted."

He wanted to tell her that she did, too, but he decided against it.

"I probably look a right mess," he said instead.

She shook her head. "Not too bad. Your face will clear up in a few days."

"My face?" he snapped. "What's wrong with my face?"

She hid a smile, brushing his fingers across his cheek so lightly that he hardly felt it. "It's just heavily bruised," she replied. "What did you expect after a fall like that?"

"As long as it's temporary," he grumbled.

"Don't worry. Your face will be flawless again in no time," she assured him.

Sirius gave her a grin. "You think my face is flawless?"

Rolling her eyes, she picked up the goblet of potion and held it out to him. "Drink your potion," she ordered him.

Still grinning, he complied, taking the goblet and drinking it down quickly, grimacing slightly at the taste. Just as last time, he began to feel drowsy nearly instantly. She removed the goblet from his hands and placed it back at the bedside. She gathered her book as if she was going to leave, but then she paused.

"I believe I owe you something," she said to him quietly.

She leaned closer to him and slowly pressed her lips to his. His eyes closed, his hand moving to the back of her head as he kissed her back, deepening the kiss; her lips were just as soft as he remembered, and he wished it could last forever. She allowed it, but only for a moment before she pulled away. He gave her a small smile before his eyes closed. A moment later, he was asleep. Running her fingers through his hair one last time, Samantha stood and left him to sleep. Sirius would wake up later wondering if their kiss had simply been a dream.

* * *

Sirius was released from the Hospital Wing two days later with strict instructions to stay away from a broomstick for at least a week. He'd grudgingly agreed, though he had to admit that he was glad for an excuse to miss a week's worth of James's demanding practices. James had complained, but he'd accepted it. Sirius was a good quidditch player; he could afford to miss the practices.

Samantha continued to pretend that she was okay. Sirius continued to pretend that he believed her, at least when she was around. He figured it was probably better for her to talk and smile, even if it was forced, than for her to be as withdrawn as she had been at first. He hoped that maybe one day, she would go from pretending to truthfully being okay.

The full moon fell on a Thursday towards the end of February. Remus began looking ill by the beginning of the week and by Thursday morning, it was all he could do to make himself get out of bed and go to classes. He'd already be missing classes the next day; he did not want to miss Thursday as well. But by lunchtime, James and Sirius had managed to talk him into going back to bed for the rest of the afternoon and they switched off returning to the tower between their afternoon classes to check on him. That evening, just after dark, they made their way to the Shrieking Shack to accompany Remus during the full moon. They spent the night racing each other through the Forbidden Forrest, Peter clinging to Sirius's back. They had a good time, and it was over all too soon.

At dawn, Sirius, James and Peter trudged, exhausted, through the castle under James's invisibility cloak. It was a tight fit for the three of them, and adding to how tired they were, the walk was not a pleasant one, especially since they knew they'd have to be ready for class in a few short hours.

They stumbled wearily into the common room, still under the invisibility cloak. It was not until they'd taken a few steps across the room that Sirius noticed Samantha tucked away at a table in the corner, her back to them. She was hunched over a pile of textbooks, but from what he could see, she didn't seem to be working very hard. Her eyes seemed to be glued to the wall ahead of her.

His steps faltered and after gesturing to James, he ducked out from under the invisibility cloak to head her way. Since she'd been attempting to act as if she was alright, she'd stopped coming down to the common room early. She still wasn't sleeping, but she would lie in bed until it was time to get up. He wondered what brought on the sudden change.

She jumped when he brushed his fingers across her shoulder as he sat down beside her. He frowned at that. They hadn't exactly been quiet when they'd stumbled into the common room. And even if they hadn't been so loud, she knew where they were and that they'd be coming back early in the morning. That was his first clue that something was wrong.

The second came when she turned to look at him. Her eyes. They'd been looking better recently. Her efforts had slowly been paying off, and Sirius had hoped that one day she would believe that she would be okay. But now, they were just as empty as they had been the day her family had died.

He did not know how, but she managed to give him a small smile. "How was your night?"

He studied her face carefully, concern in his eyes. Instead of answering her question, he asked, "Are you alright?"

She turned away from him, her gaze falling to the table. Her face was tight and she blinked her eyes several times. He could tell she was fighting her hardest to hold back tears. Her hand was clenched on the top of the table, and he covered it with his own.

"You shouldn't try so hard to hold it in," he told her gently. "You'd be surprised at how much better it would make you feel."

She shook her head. "Don't," she whispered.

"Why? What's so bad about it?"

"I'm afraid that I won't stop."

He reached up to brush her hair out of her face. "Who says you have to stop?" he asked her softly.

She turned to face him, her throat tight from the effort to hold back her tears. "Sirius, _please_," she pleaded.

He sighed and stared at her for a moment longer before he relented. "Okay." He removed his hand from hers, leaning back in his chair. He turned his attention to the books in front of her. It looked as if she had been struggling through a Transfiguration essay. The parchment was scratched and blotted to the point where she would have to write it over. "Do you want help?" he asked her, gesturing towards her essay.

She hesitated before she nodded silently. He scooted his chair closer. Picking up her quill, he began to walk her through the essay, explaining everything as he made notes for her to follow. She'd nod every now and then, and when he was nearly halfway though, he realized that she wasn't really paying attention.

He paused and studied her again. "Do I need to make you nearly black out and lecture you about keeping things to yourself to get you to tell me what's wrong?"

At any other time, that would have earned him at least a hint of a smile. Now, she just turned back to look at him. She stared at him for a long moment before pulling something off of her lap. He had not noticed before, but it appeared to be the front page of the Daily Prophet with a piece of parchment folded around it. She set it in front of him on the table.

"It's tomorrow's Prophet," she explained quietly. "Adrien sent it to me. He thought I should see it first."

Something heavy settled in Sirius's stomach. He reached for the copy of the Prophet, briefly wondering what Adrien had done to get his hands on it. He removed the parchment and placed it in front of Samantha, deciding the letter was too private for him to read. He would settle for the article.

It started with a summary of what had happened to the Dawsons, followed by all the steps the Aurors had taken so far. It then stated that no leads had been found and they were starting to need to focus their efforts elsewhere. After that statement, he knew where this was going, but he continued to read to confirm it. They were calling off the investigation trying to find out who was involved in their deaths and how they had managed to pull it off. He could understand why; they were still fighting a war. But he knew that Samantha had desperately been hoping for an arrest, some sort of closure. The article did say that if they got any leads, they would follow them, but Sirius doubted that would happen.

"I told them who I saw," Samantha whispered. "Why doesn't anyone believe me?"

Sirius gave her a sad look, reaching up to run his fingers through her hair. "I believe you," he told her.

She leaned forward, pressing her face to his chest. His arms wrapped around her, and he whispered anything comforting that he could come up with in her ear. He'd hoped that maybe she would cry, but she remained stubborn. So he decided that if she wouldn't cry, she would at least sleep.

"Let's go upstairs," he said to her quietly.

"I don't want to sleep," she protested, afraid of any nightmares that may plague her. She'd tried to sleep after she received Adrien's letter. She'd ended up dreaming of Lucius Malfoy's pale face laughing over her as he used the Cruciatus Curse on her, weakening her before forcing her to watch her family be murdered. If she closed her eyes, the images still burned in her mind.

"You don't have to sleep," he told her gently. "Just lie down. You don't want to be down here when everyone starts waking up for breakfast."

That was true, so she agreed and after he'd gathered her things, she allowed him to lead her upstairs. James and Peter's curtains were closed, and she could hear James snoring quietly. They still had another hour to sleep if they skipped breakfast.

Sirius placed her things out of the way before quietly telling her to sit down. He bent down to his trunk and quickly slipped a vial into the pocket of his robes.

"Do you want some water?" he asked her as she settled herself on one side of his bed.

She shrugged in response and taking that as a yes, he ducked into the bathroom. Grabbing one of the goblets left aside in case anyone wanted water, he filled it nearly to the top before pulling the vial back out. While he'd been in the hospital wing, he'd talked to Madame Pomfrey about Samantha's inability to sleep and stubbornness about taking potions. She'd given him a few small vials of sleeping draught, telling him to give it to her if he decided she absolutely needed to sleep. He'd avoided using it, waiting for a moment when he thought she just might not make it through if she did not sleep. Now was one such moment. She was so close to breaking, but she refused any slip of composure. There wasn't much he could do for her, but he hoped sleep would help in some way.

He poured the draught into the water. It blended in and he knew that the taste would not be any different. He carried it back out into the room and handed it to her. She took it, but did not drink.

"Do you think they'll ever make any arrests?" she asked him softly.

He sighed as he ripped off a piece of parchment, scribbling a quick note to James to tell him they would not be in class that day.

"I don't know," he said truthfully, too tired to attempt to lie to her. "I feel like every day they go without making an arrest, the less likely it becomes that they ever will."

She dropped her gaze to the goblet, swirling the water inside it around. Sirius placed the article from the Prophet on top of James's trunk along with the note. He'd understand when he read the article, just as he expected the teachers would understand why she was not in class that day.

He moved back into the bathroom to change into his pajamas. When he reemerged, she was taking a sip of the water. He was relieved. He'd begun to worry she would not drink it after all. But a sip was all that was needed.

He pulled the curtains around the bed as he watched her eyes grow heavy. She took another sip and a moment later, her eyes closed. He removed the goblet from her hands before she fell back onto his pillows. Setting the goblet down, he adjusted her so that she was more fully on the bed, pulling the covers up around her. He moved around to the other side and sighed at the feeling of finally sliding into his bed after his long night. He did not need a sleeping draught to fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	31. Chapter Thirty One

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**So far things are still going smoothly and I'm able to find enough time to write that this every other Sunday update schedule should continue to work. I spent the other night planning out in detail where the story will go once they've left Hogwarts, so just so you have an idea of where we stand, this story still has quite a ways to go. I plan on making bigger time jumps at some points, but there's still a lot to get through.**

**A huge thanks to my reviewers. I love hearing your feedback!**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Thirty One

When Samantha came back to awareness, she groaned and shifted. She felt incredibly groggy, but she opened her eyes anyway. She was met with the blurry image of Lily seated beside her, and she blinked a few times to clear her vision. Lily gave her a smile and Samantha furrowed her brow.

"I fell asleep?" she croaked, pushing herself up.

"Well, sleep may be an understatement," Lily teased.

"Understatement?" Samantha echoed. "What time is it?"

"Nearly eight."

"At night?" Samantha asked in shock.

Lily laughed at the bewildered look on her face. "What did you expect? You were exhausted. You were going to have to catch up your sleep at one point or another."

Pushing herself into a more upright position, she glanced around the room.

"This is the boys' dormitory."

Lily nodded. "You don't remember Sirius bringing you up here?"

The memories of why he'd brought her up here suddenly slammed into her, leaving her breathless. Lily gave her a sympathetic look at the sadness that passed over her face.

"I'm sorry, Sam," she said, moving her hand to rest upon her knee. "But don't give up hope. They still may find something."

Samantha gave her a bitter smile. "Yeah," she agreed, not believing it at all. "They might." She frowned and glanced around the room. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but…"

"Where is everyone?" Lily finished with a smile. At Samantha's nod, she said, "The boys are downstairs doing homework. Sirius just left. He went to the kitchens to get you guys food, especially you since you slept through all of today's meals. He asked me to come sit up here in case you woke up. And he said if you did, you should take a shower, that it would help you feel better."

Samantha sighed. "A shower does sound nice." She stood from the bed, a bit unsteady on her feet at first because of how drowsy she still felt. "He acts like he's my babysitter," she said to Lily as she headed across the room.

"He worries for you," Lily told her.

Samantha paused at the bathroom door, turning back to look at Lily. "I know," she said softly before disappearing through the door.

It did not take her long to realize that perhaps a shower was not the best idea. The long sleep had managed to help her clear her mind of Adrien's news the previous night, but in the shower, she had too much time to think. The feelings of hopelessness and defeat came rushing back to her, and by the time she stepped out of the shower, she felt awful. She suddenly had an overwhelming urge to cry, but she held it back. If she started crying, they would just worry for her more, show her even more sympathy.

Her composure was nearly lost when, after she had dressed, she back into the room and found James was there. He stood when she emerged, and without a word, he stepped towards her. When his arms wrapped around her, she choked back a sob. They stood there for several minutes, and only pulled apart when Sirius returned with enough food to feed a small army.

James and Lily did the polite thing and offered to help them eat their feast.

They spent time talking and joking about. The combined efforts of James and Sirius even managed to get Samantha to give them a small smile. She did not eat much, but when Sirius presented her with a piece of chocolate frog cake he'd had specially made for her, she couldn't help but eat nearly every bite.

After they'd eaten, Samantha and Lily watched as Sirius and James arm-wrestled, their elbows propped up on a pile of textbooks. It had started with Sirius insulting James's strength. They'd already played twice. James had lost both times, but he kept insisting that they play another round. Samantha and Lily quickly grew bored, and Lily offered to help her with her Transfiguration essay.

"Where are my books?" she asked Sirius as she stood from the floor where they had been eating.

"In my trunk," Sirius grunted in response, his attention on besting James once again.

She knelt by his trunk and lifted the lid. Her books were right on top, and she took them out. Underneath were several glass vials, all but one filled with a sort of liquid. She picked it up and studied it.

"Sirius, what's this?" she asked curiously.

"What?" he asked, glancing her way. When he saw what she was holding, his grip on James slackened. James slammed his hand down onto the ground with a cry of victory, but Sirius paid him no attention.

"What is this?" she repeated, holding it up for him to get a better look.

"Ah, that's uh…"

He did not know what to say. He did not want to tell her what it really was. But her gaze was slowly turning from curious to suspicious.

"Madame Pomfrey gave me those," he told her, quickly schooling his voice into a more nonchalant tone.

"She didn't give you any potions to take," James spoke up, earning himself a sharp jab in the ribs.

Samantha's eyes narrowed and Sirius silently cursed James for having to speak up.

"It's a sleeping draught," he admitted quietly.

Her face frosted over, making him wince. She hadn't wondered what had made her sleep for so long, and he'd hoped it would never come up. She'd told him that she did not want to sleep earlier that morning, but he'd made her anyway. He knew she wouldn't be happy if she found out.

"You drugged me," she said softly, her voice filled with disbelief as she rose to her feet.

Sirius stood as well. "It's not like that," he defended. "You needed sleep."

"I don't think it's up to you to decide that."

"Well it's got to be up to someone," he snapped, the anger firing up before he could stop it. "Because you certainly aren't capable of it."

Lily and James were both still seated on the floor, staring up at the two of them with wide eyes. Fury flashed through James's eyes when Sirius snapped at Samantha, but before he could say anything or rise to his feet Samantha stepped towards Sirius. Her eyes were hard, her jaw clenched tightly. She stopped in front of him, glaring up at him.

"You're not my keeper," she said to him sharply.

She shoved the vial at him before brushing past him as she stormed from the room. Lily was quickly on her feet, exchanging a look with James before following after her. James remained seated on the floor. He kept his mouth shut, because he agreed with them both and he felt like speaking would not be wise.

Sirius sighed heavily, suddenly weary. He held the vial up in his hand, studying it before clenching his fist around it tightly. He was tempted to throw it against the wall and he nearly did. But he held himself back, instead moving to put it back in his trunk.

"Why do I always let my anger get the best of me, Prongs?" Sirius asked him, his back still to James.

"Because you're a prat," James replied as he finally stood from the floor.

"I know," Sirius sighed. "But she needed the sleep."

"I know, mate," James replied. "I know."

They went down to the common room not too long after. Remus and Peter were seated at a table in the corner and they moved to join them. As Sirius and James sat down, Remus looked up at Sirius with an exasperated look.

"What did you do now?"

Sirius gave him a look. "What makes you think I've done something?"

"Oh, I don't know," Remus replied. "The fact that Sam came storming through here a few minutes ago?"

"It's nothing," Sirius replied. "How did your patrol with Leah go?"

Remus's face color slightly.

"Fine," he choked out.

Peter grinned. "More than fine, I'd say," he teased. "If how flustered he was when he came back was any indication."

James grinned widely. "Atta boy, Moony."

Remus's face flushed more deeply. Sirius tuned out his friends as they continued to tease him, his gaze flicking to the stairs that led to the girls' dormitories. He hadn't meant to upset her. That had been the last thing on his mind when he'd slipped her the potion. She'd been so unraveled that morning. But he knew he was the one at fault. He hoped that in all that she had been feeling lately that she would feel forgiving.

* * *

It did not take Sirius long at all to figure out that Samantha was not going to be quick about forgiving him. She no longer sat with him at meals if she even bothered to come at all. She avoided meeting his gaze and if he tried to speak with her, he'd only get a short response if he was lucky enough to get one at all. He knew he deserved it, but he could help but hate it.

Two weeks passed this way. James kept telling him that she just needed more time, but the more time that passed, the less he believed it.

With the arrival of March came slightly warmer temperatures. The snow began to slowly melt, preparing to give up the earth to spring. One Friday two weeks into March, the seventh years were in their last class of the day, Transfiguration. When the bell rang for dinner, McGonagall dismissed them, but not before she gave them an essay to do over the weekend. As the class emptied, Professor McGonagall called to Samantha, asking to speak with her a moment. Samantha nodded as she gathered her things. This was a weekly occurrence. As head of Gryffindor, McGonagall showed concern over Samantha's slipping grades and the fact that she didn't seem to be eating or sleeping. She did not pry, just reminded her that she was there if she needed someone to talk to.

As Samantha made her way towards the front of the room, she passed Sirius and James. She fought the urge to glance their way. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sirius's eyes briefly flick towards her as he told James that he would meet him at dinner after running up to the dormitory to grab his broomstick for that evening's quidditch practice.

Samantha's talk with McGonagall was brief, as it always was. After she assured the professor that if she should need someone to talk to, she would seek her out, McGonagall dismissed her to dinner. But Samantha did not feel like eating, like sitting in the crowded Great Hall. So instead, her feet began to lead her towards Gryffindor Tower. She remembered Sirius mentioning running back there before dinner, so she took a different, slightly longer route in hopes to avoid him. Even though she was not speaking to him, he would try and talk her into going to dinner.

It was not long before she realized that she should have gone the usual way. Walking down the corridor towards her was Evan Rosier, flanked, as usual, by Avery and Wilkes. She quickly dropped her gaze, hoping lack of eye contact would discourage him, but not before she saw the smirk that played across his lips when he caught sight of her.

"Hey Dawson," he called as they drew closer. "How's your mum and dad?"

She ignored him, passing them by and continuing on her way down the corridor. Rosier did not take kindly to being ignored. She heard him shout, "Hey!" and then she heard footsteps quickly approaching her. Suddenly he was in front of her, blocking her path, and she came to an abrupt halt, hesitantly meeting his dark eyes.

"I was talking to you," he said lowly, glaring down at her.

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say," Samantha replied softly, making to move around him. He stepped back into her path, preventing her from continuing on her way.

"Your father had it coming," Rosier told her. "For all he's done to oppose the Dark Lord. I relished the news when it came. My father's death has finally been avenged. Malfoy did a nice job, though I always personally thought that the Reductor Curse was a little too messy for my taste."

Samantha's face went white. She'd heard of the Reductor Curse being used by Death Eaters. Not much of the victim was left after and it was one of the worst ways to die imaginable. But Sirius had told her that he had died by the Killing Curse.

"You're lying," she whispered.

When he realized that she did not know the truth, he sneered. "You didn't know that lovely detail?" he taunted her, enjoying tormenting her with his words. "Perhaps if you'd stuck around instead of running away like a coward, you would have known the truth. If you had survived."

"I was forced to-"

"Too bad you're not more of a fighter," he interrupted her. "Then maybe they'd still be alive."

Her breath caught in her throat and she dropped her gaze.

"You could have saved them," he continued. "But now they're gone. And it's your fault."

He fell silent, enjoying watching her reaction for a long moment before he leaned down so that he was level to her face, their noses only inches apart.

"How does it feel?" he asked her softly before straightening back up. "See you later."

He strode away. For a moment, Samantha stood rooted to the spot as she listened to Rosier laugh with his friends as they continued on their way. He had to have been lying. Sirius had told her that he father had died by the Killing Curse. But she remembered the morning he told her, how he'd hesitated before telling her about her father, how there had been a strange glint in his eye that she hadn't paid any attention to before but now realized was guilt. Rosier had told her the truth while Sirius, who she'd thought she could trust, had lied right to her face about her own father's death.

As she stormed down the corridor, she hoped dearly that Sirius was still in his dormitory because she very much wanted to have a word with him.

Sirius was bent over his trunk, attempting to find one of his quidditch gloves that had decided to disappear, when the door to the dormitory slammed open. He jumped in surprise and peered over his shoulder, wondering which one of his friends was upset and why, when he found Samantha in the doorway.

"Sam," he said carefully, standing. "What-?"

He caught a good look at her face and frowned. The mask she had worn so carefully the past two months had slipped. For once, he could see all of the emotion she was feeling, and to his surprise, the dominant one seemed to be anger.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, taking a step towards her.

She glared at him, her jaw tight.

"How did my father die?" she asked him, ignoring his question.

Sirius blinked, taken aback by the question. He'd thought that he had put that subject to rest back in December.

"I…I told you already," he stammered, running his hand through his hair. He did not think that he had ever seen her this angry.

"You told me that he got hit by the Killing Curse," she said, not satisfied by his response.

"He…he did."

Her eyes flashed and he grimaced, catching on to why she was so angry.

"How did you find out?"

"That doesn't matter," she snapped at him. "It should have been from you and not him."

Him. He would bet that it had been Rosier. He swallowed hard, wishing she would not look at him so angrily, so hurt. She'd only looked at him that way once before. When she had caught him with Morgan Devereux.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, moving closer to her. She took a step back.

"I want to hear it from you," she told him, her voice tight. "Tell me the truth."

Swallowing hard, he nodded. "The Reductor Curse," he croaked, unable to meet her gaze. "He was hit by the Reductor Curse."

From the way he said it, she knew it had to be true. It felt as if ice was running through her veins. Her breathing began to increase as she realized that of all the terrible ways she had dreamed of her father dying, her mind had never even come close. She felt as if she could be sick, but she pushed the feeling aside stubbornly.

"I shouldn't have left them," she whispered, bringing her hand up to her forehead.

Sirius frowned. "What?"

She raised her head to look at him, dropping her hand from her face. He was surprised to see a tear roll down her cheek. "I shouldn't have left them," she said to him louder. "If I had stayed…"

"You couldn't have done anything," he told her quietly, taking a few steps closer to her.

She backed away from him.

"How do you know?" she challenged, her voice rising. "You weren't there." The tears were beginning to fall more rapidly.

"Sam, they managed to kill your family," he reminded her gently. "If you'd stayed, you would have been killed, too." He choked on the last words. It was something he had thought several times. What if her father had not managed to get her out?

"Well, maybe that would have been best," she shouted at him, tears now pouring down her cheeks.

He was too taken aback to move as she spun on her heel. But he snapped himself out of it quickly and moved forward to catch her wrist before she could open the door.

"Let me go," she screamed, fighting against his grip.

He grip tightened in response. She spun to face him, using her free hand to try and shove him away. He grabbed hold of that hand, struggling to keep a grip on her as she continued to fight against him. He tried to calm her, calling her name as gently as he could manage, but she did not pay him any attention. He ignored her when she commanded him to let her go repeatedly.

He managed to pull her closer and he released one of her hands to wrap his arm around her. The fight dissolved in her instantly. She slumped against him, shaking as she sobbed into his chest. His other arm slipped around her, and he closed his eyes tightly as he held her.

Taking a shaky breath, he bent his head to press his face into her hair. "Don't ever say that," he mumbled. "Don't you ever say that again."

Her knees gave out and his arms tightened, holding her up as he slowly lowered them to the floor. She fisted her hands in his robes. She tried to stop the sobs that racked her body, but nearly three months of built up emotion was pouring out of her with no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Sirius had no idea how long they sat there on the floor of the dormitory, her face pressed against his chest as she sobbed and shook in his arms. He kept his arms firmly wrapped around her, his hand rubbing her back, the only comfort he knew how to give. He whispered to her, comforting things that he would not be able to recall later. At some point, the door opened and James stepped into the room, likely looking to see why Sirius had not turned up at dinner and if he was still planning on dragging his arse to quidditch practice. But when he saw the scene in front of him, he slowly backed from the room, closing the door quietly.

Eventually her sobs quieted into sniffling and then she fell silent. She did not move. She remained leaning against him, completely drained. She felt almost empty, having finally released the emotions that she had so stubbornly held back for so long. But she was surprised at how relieved she felt, how a huge weight on her chest had been lifted.

She turned her head, and unclenched her fists from his robes. She placed her hand on his chest, feeling how soaked the front of his robes had become.

"I've ruined your robes," she murmured.

He smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "It doesn't matter," he replied.

She nodded, her eyes slipping closed. It was not long before she fell asleep. Sirius was not surprised. That had to have taken a lot out of her, and added on to her lack of sleep, she had to be exhausted. He adjusted her in his arms before standing, lifting her up with him as gently as he could, trying not to wake her. He laid her down on his bed, making sure she looked comfortable before removing her shoes and pulling the covers over her, tucking them around her. He ran a hand over her head and bent down to kiss her forehead, hoping that this had finally been a step in the right direction.

* * *

She could not have slept too long. An hour at most. When her eyes slowly opened, Sirius was seated beside her on the bed, clad in a fresh pair of robes and his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook opened on his lap.

"Are you…studying?" she asked him tiredly.

He looked down at her and grinned. "I do try to study for my classes," he replied. "I just don't like to advertise it too much."

She managed to give him a small smile. He closed the textbook with a soft snap and set it on his bedside table. He sighed as he lay down so that their faces would be on the same level.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her, searching out her hand and lacing their fingers together.

She shrugged. "I'm not sure," she replied truthfully. "Drained."

He nodded, not surprised. She would likely feel that way for a few days.

"Do you want anything?"

She shook her head. "Just to not move for a while. I don't think I have the energy."

He smiled at her. "I think we can manage that," he replied, earning himself a smile in return.

She turned her gaze away from him, the smile fading from her face. She appeared deep in thought and he frowned.

"What's wrong?" he questioned concernedly.

She shook her head and brought her gaze back to his. "I've been a mess lately, haven't I?"

"Maybe," he replied quietly. "But no one can blame you. It's a terrible thing you've had to go through, something no one should ever have to deal with."

"But I could have tried harder…I could have tried harder to move on."

He shook his head at her and released her hand to cup the side of her face. "It's not something you make yourself do, Sam. It's something that comes with time. Though you shouldn't have tried so hard to hide how much you were hurting. You shouldn't have tried to hold back your tears for so long."

She dropped her gaze from his. "I was trying to keep everyone from worrying."

"But it only made us worry more," he told her gently.

She nodded before sliding closer to him, lying her head on his chest. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "For holding things in. For yelling at you when you slipped me that sleeping draught."

He sighed and moved his hand to her hair, running his fingers through it. "You don't have anything to be sorry for. And I should never have done that."

They fell into a comfortable silence. He continued to run his hand through her hair, noticing how it seemed to relax her. Her eyes slipped closed, and he thought maybe she had fallen back to sleep. It did not surprise him. She had to still be tired. But she apparently had not been asleep, because she was the one to eventually break the silence.

"Sirius?" she asked quietly.

"Hm?"

He'd nearly been asleep himself, more from the lazy feeling he had from lying there in his bed than exhaustion.

"What are we?"

He frowned and his eyes slid down to where she was still using his chest as a pillow. She tilted her head up so that she could look at him and must have seen the confusion in his eyes because she elaborated.

"To each other."

"Oh," was all he managed to say. He could not deny that he hadn't wondered this himself over the past several months, but with all that had happened, he usually ignored it. She hadn't been in any shape to think about a relationship. It was not something he had expected to discuss for a time. He probably should not have been as surprised as he was about the fact that she had finally brought it up herself. They had promised to talk after the holidays after all. Circumstances had put it off, but that hadn't meant that it still was not there somewhere.

"We can't keep dancing around each other," she told him when he did not say anything else.

He sighed heavily. "No," he agreed. "I suppose we can't."

Her head lifted off of his chest as she sat up. She frowned down at him, her hair hanging in her face and her eyes red and swollen. Even now after hours of tears, he thought she was beautiful.

"Don't frown love," he teased her softly, reaching up to brush his finger against her forehead. "It'll give you wrinkles."

Her lips twitched. "You're not helping to move this conversation along at all."

"No," he admitted quietly. "I suppose I'm not."

"Sirius."

"Sorry," he replied. And he was. He did not know why he kept delaying the conversation. He'd known that they needed to have it for months. He'd longed to get it over with. But now that the opportunity was here, he did not want it. They were comfortable as they were now. Possibly not as happy as they could be, but they got along. What if the conversation did not go as planned? What if they decided it was best for them to stay as friends? He didn't know if he wanted that, and he worried that if that's what they decided, they would drift apart in their own denial. Because for months, James had been trying to tell him what he had recently begun to see. They belonged together. "It's a difficult question."

She sighed and drew her knee up to her chest, resting her chin upon it and wrapping her arms around her leg. "I don't understand why it has to be so difficult," she said softly, her eyes falling to the sheet of the bed.

He stared up at her, realizing that maybe she wanted the same thing that he did.

"It doesn't have to be difficult," he told her, pushing himself up. "Not if we don't make it so."

She remained silent, her fingers fiddling with the tips of her hair. He watched her before sighing, reaching out to gently take her chin, tilting her head up so that her blue eyes met his grey.

"I like you, Samantha. A lot Surely you know that by now. And I'm happiest when I'm with you."

Surprise filled her eyes at his confession. It had been obvious they both still had feelings for each other, but she'd honestly expected him to move on easily, being who he was and how he'd moved between girls. But even when he had gone back to that, James had told her it was because he was trying to deal with losing her. She hadn't believed him. Until now. She knew he was being truthful. She could see it in his eyes. And he had hardly left her side the past few months, making sure that she did not starve or fall ill from lack of sleep. She wouldn't have made it through without him.

"Sirius, I-"

She began to answer him, but he'd already seen the answer in her eyes. He was unable to help himself. He leaned forward and captured her lips with his in a hungry kiss. She was surprised, but not for long. Her eyes closed and her hand moved to the back of his neck.

When they ran out of breath, he pulled away and rested his forehead against her own, his hands coming to rest on each side of her face. Winded, he stared into her eyes. "Just one word," he whispered to her. "That's all I need. Yes or no."

Unable to help herself, she smiled at the fact that he still felt the need to ask. "Yes," she replied breathlessly.

He kissed her again, more gently this time, and for the first time since her family had been murdered, she felt happiness. It blossomed in her chest and spread throughout her body, straight to the tips of her fingers and toes. And that was when she realized Nichole had been right. It would still hurt, but it got better, and she could still live her life.

She slid her hand from his neck to his shoulder before gently pushing him away. He pulled back immediately, concern on his face. But she smiled to reassure him.

"But slowly," she told him. "I want to take it slowly."

He nodded in agreement and gave her another little kiss before pulling away. They ended up lying awake talking late into the night. She rested her head on his shoulder, and his arm was wrapped around her, his thumb lightly stroking her arm as they talked. It had been a long time since they had stayed up late, talking about whatever came to mind. They steered away from topics about family or the war. With for the exception of Sirius apologizing to her over and over about lying to her about her father's death. She'd been silent at first, but she'd finally told him that she forgave him, that she understood why he did it. He promised her that he would never do it again, sealing it with a kiss.

Her eyes were heavy the entire time they stayed awake, but Sirius ended up falling asleep first. She'd propped herself up to lean over him, brushing his dark hair off of his face as he breathed deeply in sleep. Smiling, she brushed her lips against his cheek before laying down against him, giving in to her own fatigue. That night, the nightmares did not come.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	32. Chapter Thirty Two

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**Things are still going as scheduled. I know I'm cutting it close, updating ten minutes before midnight, but I didn't proof read ahead of time and then I kept forgetting that I had to upload today. Oh well, it's up now. I'm losing my lead on chapters but I'm still far enough ahead that right now I don't see it being an issue.**

**To my anonymous reviewer: I have never heard that song but I'll have to look it up one day.**

**Edit: Not sure why but the update email just went out even though I published this chapter on Sunday. I actually republished it yesterday because I noticed I hadn't gotten an email, so that's why there were two emails if you receive email alerts. Whatever problems the site was having seem to be fixed now at least. **

* * *

Fate

Chapter Thirty Two

When she woke up late the next morning, Sirius was watching her sleep. She gave him a look and shoved his arm.

"Stop staring at me," she muttered sleepily.

"But I like watching you sleep," he replied with a grin.

"It's creepy."

But she was smiling at him, and he realized that for the first time since her family died, there was a small spark of life back in her eyes.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her as she rubbed her eyes. They were still a little red from the previous night, but the swelling had gone down.

She sighed and moved her gaze away from his. "Still drained," she admitted. "But not as empty as yesterday. I think I can thank you for that."

He ran his fingers through her hair. "It will get better," he promised. "It's going to take some time yet. But you're well on your way."

She smiled and turned her face to press it to his shoulder, her eyes closing. After a few minutes of silence, he said, "We ought to get up. Lunch will be soon."

"Mm hm," she said in agreement, but neither one of them moved.

Eventually, Sirius groaned and pushed himself up. She remained stubbornly under the covers, her eyes closed.

"How about I take a shower first?" he asked her. "Since you're determined to go back to sleep. Then you can shower and we can go down to the common room together."

All he got in response was the slightest nod of her head, but he accepted it and stood from the bed, stretching before making his way to the bathroom. The room was deserted. He was sure that after walking in on them last night that James was beside himself with worry. Sirius admired his restraint, choosing to leave them alone instead of reappearing to demand to know what had happened. Sirius had no idea what time they'd deemed it safe to come upstairs to bed. He'd put a silencing charm around his bed so that they would not be disturbed while they talked and slept.

When he stepped out of the bathroom about fifteen minutes later rubbing a towel over his hair, she had dozed back off. Normally he would have left her alone, but he roused her. She had missed dinner the night before and had slept through breakfast. She wasn't going to miss lunch as well.

She was reluctant to get up, but he managed to convince her with threats of pouring cold water on her if she didn't. Despite her protests, she ended up taking a long, hot shower. She used the time to prepare herself to face her friends again. They'd know something had changed with her, but she was not ready to talk about it. But knowing Sirius would be by her side finally gave her enough courage to step out of the shower. Sirius had given her a pair of his robes to wear and she slipped in them after drying off. They were too big, especially in the shoulders, they nearly touched the ground, and the sleeves were a bit too long. But they smelled of him and that comforted her. She towel dried her hair enough so that it would not drip before she emerged from the bathroom, running her fingers through her hair to brush out the tangles.

Sirius met her halfway to the bed and wrapped his arms around her.

"Are you ready?" he asked her softly.

She shrugged. "Will my answer make a difference on whether we go downstairs or not?"

She got a smile in response. "No, I'm afraid not."

When she still look unconvinced, he sighed.

"You wouldn't want to give Rosier the impression that he's won, would you?" he asked her gently.

By the look that crossed her face, he knew that his suspicions the night before about Rosier being the one who told her about her father were true. She did not ask him how he knew. It couldn't be hard to piece together. There were only a handful of people in this school who would have the disrespect to say anything to her about it. And given the fact that out of those, Rosier hated her the most, it was rather simple.

"Don't worry," Sirius assured her, pulling her closer. "If he so much as looks at you, I'll hex him."

That comment earned him a small smile.

"Sirius Black," she said softly. "My overprotective boyfriend."

"Boyfriend," he murmured. "It's been a long time since you've called me that."

"Well, you'd best get used to it," she told him before rising to her toes, pressing her lips against his.

They spent several minutes lost in each other before Sirius finally pulled away.

"You're stalling," he sang at her.

She shrugged in response. "It worked for a few minutes at least."

"Well no more delaying," he told her, catching her hand in his and linking their fingers. "James will be too excited that we're back together to ask how you are, anyway. And even if he isn't, he won't if everyone else is around."

She nodded, hoping he was right because she still did not want to talk about it, and allowed him to lead her down the stairs and into the common room. Their friends were all gathered together on the sofa and several chairs that sat before the fireplace. They'd obviously been attempting to study, but had given up and instead were talking while they waited for it to be time to head down to lunch.

James caught sight of them first. He'd likely been looking for them to come downstairs at some point. His face was concerned as he silently studied Samantha. His concern did not last long when his eyes took notice of their entwined hands. It was comical, the way his eyes bugged out of his head, his jaw slackening. Sirius chuckled and exchanged an amused glance with Samantha. He supposed it wasn't what James had expected after having walked in on Samantha sobbing uncontrollably the night before.

James's reaction caught the attention of the others. Amber let out a loud squeal, her face similar to James's. The others were a bit more composed as they congratulated them. Remus teased Sirius, telling him that it took him long enough. All it took was Sirius reminding him how long it took him to ask Leah on a date to get Remus to shut up.

When it was time for lunch, they headed to the Great Hall in one large group. As they made their way through the corridors, James began to shoot Samantha concerned looks, still worried about what he had seen the night before. Sirius caught his eye after he noticed the looks and shook his head, silently telling him that she was not ready to talk but that she was alright. He nodded to say that he understood and stopped giving her the looks.

Lunch was a pleasant event. Samantha still did not eat enough, but what she did eat she ate without Sirius having to push her. She was more talkative, but it was not forced. Sirius was quick to let the students at lunch know that Samantha was his again by continually touching her, whether it be by putting his arms around her shoulders or resting his hand on her leg. Samantha noticed, but she did not mind and allowed it.

At dinner that night, she saw Rosier for the first time since he had spoken to her the night before. He was covered in ugly red boils and by the way he was walking, they were apparently painful. Whispers followed him through the Great Hall, and he made a point to not look towards the Marauders. Samantha threw a questioning look at Sirius, but he just shrugged and raised his eyebrows. But she did not miss the way his lips tilted up into a slight smile, the way James looked pleased with himself. She did not comment, but she knew that they had been the culprits. For once, she supported what they had done. Rosier deserved nothing better.

* * *

As the weeks passed, Samantha continued to improve. She ate more, her grades began to rise. She had to work hard to catch up, and most of her free time was spent studying. If Sirius wanted to spend time with her, he had to study as well. He supported it, because he knew she had catching up to do. Every now and then he would talk her into a break and take her for a walk or just spent time talking to her. He managed to get her to open up to him about how she felt about her family passing. She told him of her fears about the future, and he was quick to assure her that she wouldn't be alone.

It was still hard for her. The tears would come without warning and Sirius would comfort her until it passed. But she was doing a lot better than before. The nightmares would still come, but not as frequently. On the nights when she was startled awake by them, she would find her way to Sirius's bed, and he would roll over to wrap his arms around her as she curled up beside him.

One Saturday afternoon, Samantha was alone in the green houses, her textbook spread out in front of her as she studied. She'd already been at it for hours, and though she was growing frustrated, she had not gotten through enough information to call it a day.

When Sirius stopped by, she was bent over a group of plants –what kind he had no idea- as she took notes on a piece of parchment. Her hair was pulled back by a band to keep it out of her face. She had to have heard him when he entered, but she ignored him. When he reached her and she still did not acknowledge him, he gently tugged at the band until it freed her hair, sending it cascading over her shoulders.

"You know, I had that pulled back for a reason," she told him, not taking her eyes off of her work.

"But it looks nicer down," he informed her, twisting the band around his fingers.

Her lips twitched. "That's not how the compliment goes," she said. "Most people say hair looks better up because it allows you to see their face better."

"Yes," he agreed. "But your hair is far prettier than their hair."

She finally turned to look at him, her eyebrows raised. "Are you checking up on me, Sirius?"

He shook his head immediately. "No. No, I was just wandering around and thought I'd come by."

She gave him a smile and he knew that she was well aware that he was lying. When she turned back to her work, he sighed.

"Come take a walk with me."

"I can't. I've got too much to do."

"You've been down here for three hours," he argued. "That's long enough to warrant a break."

"Sirius-"

"No," he said, grabbing hold of her arm and dragging her towards the greenhouse door. "A fifteen minute walk. That's all I ask, then you can go back to work."

She sighed and allowed him to pull her out into the warm spring sun. They made their way towards the lake, their hands entwined. Many students were taking advantage of the beautiful day and were lounging around on the lawn or playing at the water's edge.

"I thought you had quidditch practice this afternoon," Samantha said after they had walked in silence for a few minutes.

"James decided to cancel it, give us a day off," Sirius replied. "He thought we could afford to, after we kicked Hufflepuff's arses last week."

"And you even managed to stay on your broom," she teased.

"I'm sure the Slytherins were disappointed."

"Well, I sure wasn't," she replied, squeezing his hand.

"I've been flying for years," he told her. "I'm good at what I do. The only way I fall is if some arse like Wilkes pulls some sort of stunt."

"You are a good quidditch player," she agreed, smiling up at him. "I'd bet you could make a career out of it."

"If I wanted to," he replied softly. "But I'm going to join the Aurors."

Surprise filled her eyes. "I thought you were still deciding."

"Something happened to help me make up my mind."

Her steps faltered. She turned to face him, mixed emotions crossing over her face. He reached for her other hand and pulled her closer, his grey eyes boring into hers.

"I grew up away from the war, Sam. But I've heard plenty of stories, especially since I've been living with the Potters. I've read the papers. But this is the first time that I've seen just what sort of pain they're putting people through for their cause. And I won't allow it to continue. I won't watch people suffer. I won't watch you suffer."

She gave him a sad smile. "You sound like my father."

Closing his eyes, he leaned down to press a kiss on her forehead, his lips lingering for a long moment.

"They'll pay for what they've done," he murmured, his lips moving against her skin. "I don't care if the other Aurors have given up. I'll make sure of it myself."

"Sirius," she whispered. "You shouldn't. Your brother….Surely the two of you will cross paths at one point or another."

"He made his choice," he said, moving his head back just far enough so that he could meet her gaze. "And now I've made mine."

Before she could respond, he tilted his head down and pressed his lips to hers. He felt her pull away the slightest bit, but she seemed to change her mind and returned his kiss, hesitantly at first, but then deeper. He knew she would not like how easily he seemed to have accepted making his brother his enemy. But the truth was that he had spent many nights lying awake because of the internal struggle that had been raging war inside of himself. In the end, his want to make a difference in a war he hated because of how many people suffered from it won out over the fact that by taking part, he would be making his brother his enemy. He was still coming to terms with his decision. He would not change his mind, but that did not mean he was not still conflicted. He wasn't ready to talk about it, not even with Samantha, who he knew would support him, assure him that he knew how to make the right decision. He was not ready to hear that, because he did not know whether he would believe it or not. Not yet.

When they pulled apart, he could see it in her eyes. That she understood he did not wish to talk about it and that, for now at least, she would let the subject rest. That was one of the things he liked most about her. She seemed to always know what was going on in his mind. He wished he could read her the same way. Most of the time he could guess what she was thinking, but if she wanted to, she could hide it from him. It was a remainder of the problems she had with trust. He doubted she was even aware of it most of the time.

"It's been fifteen minutes," he told her softly, pushing her hair behind her ear. "I promised you I'd only bother you for fifteen minutes."

She smiled and shook her head. "Yes, but now that you've got me away from my work, I don't want to go back."

He grinned. "Then my plan worked."

"Oh, you think you're so clever."

But her growing smile told him that she did not care that he'd pulled her out of her studying mood. They made their way back to the greenhouses so that she could collect her things. Deciding to take advantage of what was left of the beautiful day, they headed back down to the lake. He led her to the tree he and his fellow Marauders liked to frequent on days such as this. None of them were in sight; he supposed they'd found other things to occupy their time. When he'd left the common room earlier, James and Lily had been planning to spend the afternoon together.

When they had settled in the grass at the base of the tree, they began talking about subjects that weren't so depressing. They spoke of the ever increasing work load their teachers insisted upon giving them, the final match Gryffindor had left against Ravenclaw, their upcoming N.E.W.T.s, and whatever else crossed their minds.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent this way. By the time the sun was casting its late afternoon light over the grounds, Sirius was reclined back against the tree, his arms folded behind his head. Samantha had her head rested on his chest as she stared up at the sky through the branches She tried studying again at one point, but her mind just was not in it. Sirius's chest rose up and down slowly beneath her, and she was sure he was dozing.

She sighed deeply, and then she felt Sirius's hand brush through her hair.

"What are you thinking about?" he murmured sleepily.

She shook her head. "I think the better question would be 'What are you not thinking about?'."

His fingers continued to run through her hair. "Anything you want to talk about?"

For a long moment, she did not answer. She turned her head to look towards the lake. She remembered the time nearly two years ago when Sirius and James had started a duel with Snape, how angry Lily had been. It seemed so long ago now. She had hardly been on speaking terms with Sirius then. So much had changed. She wondered what will have changed a year from now, five years from now. Would they be happy? Would the war be over?

"Teach me to duel," she eventually said softly.

She could not see his face, but she imagined his brow was furrowed, his eyes questioning.

"We've learned to duel," he replied. "We spent a whole month on it in Defense our fifth year."

Her head shook before she turned to look at him. "Not textbook dueling," she said. "That won't keep someone alive. I mean the type of dueling that seems to comes naturally to you. The type of dueling they'll teach you when you join the Aurors."

Sirius frowned. "Why do you-"

He stopped, because he knew why. He sighed heavily.

"Sam, we've discussed this. What happened with your family…there was nothing you could have done."

"I know," she snapped, her voice more harsh than she intended. Immediately, she gave him an apologetic smile. "I know," she said again more softly. "But I should have at least been able to defend myself. We're in a war, Sirius. There will come a time when I'll need to be able to duel to protect myself, maybe even our friends."

"Sammie," he said softly. "You're not a killer."

She pushed herself up and leaned over him, staring down into his eyes. "I'm not asking you to teach me to kill," she whispered. "I'm asking you to teach me to defend."

He stared at her for a long moment, taking in the determination, the pleading for him to agree. Eventually he sighed and reached up to brush his fingers across her cheek.

"Okay," he agreed. "If you want to learn so badly, I'll help. But not now. Focus on N.E.W.T.s for now. When we leave Hogwarts, we'll start."

She gave him a grateful smile and lay back down beside him, resting her head upon his shoulder. "Thank you."

He smiled and shifted his head so that it rested against her own. They stayed that way, silent and lost in their own thoughts, until it was time to go to dinner.

* * *

March gave way to April. With summer nearly in their sights, the students were studying even more, staying up late into the night, catching up on their sleep on the weekends. The fifth years and seventh years were beginning to panic about their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. The other students were not near as panicked, but they had begun to think about their final exams as well.

"I'm tired of studying," James grumbled one night at dinner, dropping his head down to the table with a loud thud.

Lily rubbed his back. "And we're tired of hearing you complain about studying," she told him with a smile.

The look that crossed James's face was enough to make Sirius let out his barking laugh. James kicked out his foot in response, and Peter, who was seated beside Sirius, yelped in pain when James missed and got him in the shin instead. This only caused Sirius to laugh more. James kicked again, and this time was rewarded with a wince and a glare. James opened his mouth to say something smug, but before he could, Sirius returned James's gesture, kicking him hard in the knee, causing James to let out a loud curse.

Samantha rolled her eyes from Sirius's other side and exchanged an exasperated look with Lily.

"If I ever have children," she said, "Merlin forbid they turn out anything like them."

"Ha!" James exclaimed. "Any children fathered by Sirius Black is bound to turn out like us one way or another."

Sirius choked on his pumpkin juice. Samantha's face flamed. Peter and Lily moved their gazes between the two of them and James, who seemed pleased with their reactions.

"What's the matter?" James asked them innocently. "Sam, I thought you wanted kids?"

"Well…I…I suppose…yes," Samantha managed to stammer out.

"And what about you Sirius?" James turned his gaze to the boy who was now glaring daggers at him. "Haven't you ever thought about having kids in the future?"

"Possibly," Sirius hissed through clenched teeth.

"James," Lily said gently, placing her hand on his arm. "If Sirius tries to hex you, I'm not going to stop him."

"Neither will I," Peter spoke up, more because he knew that if he did, Sirius would hex him as well.

"The lot of you are no fun at all," James grumbled, stabbing his fork through a potato.

Sirius continued to glare at him, placing a hand on Samantha's knee. Amber chose that moment to come join them from where she had been sitting down the table with a couple of sixth years.

"Did I miss anything interesting?" she asked as she slid onto the bench beside Samantha.

"Just James begging to be hexed," Lily replied. "So nothing out of the ordinary."

Amber glanced at Samantha, whose cheeks were still red, and her eyebrows rose. She nearly asked what had happened, but decided against it. She could always ask later.

"Where's Remus?" she asked instead, noticing they were missing one.

Sirius finally stopped glaring at James as a grin spread across his face. "He's with Leah. He should be along at any moment."

"I'll bet they're snogging," Peter said, causing James to snort loudly.

"You ought not to tease him," Samantha said.

"You're forgetting who you're talking to," Sirius told her with a shake of his head.

"I know perfectly well who I'm talking to. And you ought not to tease him."

"And that's why you're absolutely no fun," James spoke up.

"I agree with her," Lily told James. "It's terrible how you tease him."

"Well, I suppose I could try and tone it down a bit," James replied with a grin, earning a smile from Lily and a glare from Samantha.

Sirius chuckled and squeezed her knee. "He's doing it on purpose," he whispered to her.

"I know," she said crossly. "Because he's an arse."

James's grin widened at that comment. His mouth opened to respond, but Peter hissed to get their attention because Remus Lupin and his girlfriend had just entered the Great Hall. They watched as Remus walked her to the Hufflepuff table, and after hesitating for a moment, giving her a quick kiss before making his way towards his friends. They all quickly looked away, and when Remus greeted them as he sat down beside James, his fellow Marauders were entirely too focused on their food.

"Go on then," he said when they remained silent, pulling a pork chop onto his plate. "I know you lot want to say something."

Peter shook his head. "Nope. Nothing much to say."

Remus clearly did not believe him, but he began to cut up his meat.

"Well," James spoke up slowly. "There's one thing." At Remus's raised eyebrow, he continued. "That was a very public display, Moony old chap."

"It was a tiny kiss," Remus replied flatly. "It's not as if I was snogging her in front of the whole school."

"I'm just curious," James told him. "I mean, if you're doing that in front of the school, then what are you doing in private?" He grinned slyly. "Have you two moved past snogging, Moony?"

Remus's face flamed. "Not that it's your business, but no, we have not," he said firmly.

"Are you sure?" James asked. He jumped and winced as pain shot through his leg. He looked up to see Samantha glaring at him. He glared back, but did not retaliate.

"Serves you right," Lily told him.

"You're always sticking your nose in other people's business," Amber said.

Sirius snorted. "You're one to talk, Channing."

She shrugged and smiled, because it was certainly true. They left Remus alone after that, and their conversation turned to other things. Studying seemed to top the list, much to James's dismay, but these days there wasn't much else to talk about. Luckily the end of the year was drawing nearer, though it brought on mixed feelings since they would be leaving for good. Hogwarts was home, and they were not ready to leave it behind.

* * *

Sirius groaned and rolled over, his arms blindly seeking out his girlfriend. When they did not find her, he cracked his eyes open to find the other half of his bed empty. Frowning, he pushed himself up. As her birthday had drawn closer, she had become more subdued, and every night she had ended up in his bed after having a nightmare. So now, on the eve of her birthday, he'd asked her to just come straight to his dorm. She'd agreed, but had not gone up to bed when he had. It could not be too late. He felt like he'd not even slept an hour.

He stood from the bed and slowly made his way through the dark room, tripping over James's shoes with a curse. Glaring at James's closed curtains, he slipped out of the room and descended the stairs to the common room. He paused on the last stair and glanced around. There were a few students up here and there, but these days many students went to bed early to escape the endless hours of studying. He didn't see her at first, but after a second sweep with his eyes, he found her seated before a window. As he made his way towards her he caught sight of the large clock that stood against one wall. It was fifteen minutes until midnight. At least it was not too late. It had barely been an hour since he'd gone up to bed.

"You ought to come up to bed," he said to her softly as he approached her. "Or you'll be tired tomorrow."

Her head shook the slightest bit where it was lying on her knees, her gaze out of the dark window. He frowned when she didn't turn to look at him.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, his hand moving to run through her hair.

"I miss them, Sirius," she said softly, finally turning to look at him.

He saw the tears on her cheeks and sighed. He slid onto the windowsill behind her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against his chest. She turned her head to press it into his shoulder.

"I know, love," he whispered, burying his face in her hair. "I know."

They sat there in silence for a while, his hand rubbing her arm. Eventually she turned her head against his shoulder to once more move her gaze to the dark window. Her hand found his from where they wrapped around her, and she pulled one away to lace their fingers. She glanced down and frowned, pulling his hand closer.

"What happened to your hand?" she asked him, her fingers brushing over the scratches that covered the top of his hand.

Gently, he pulled his hand away and moved it out of her sight. "It's nothing," he told her. She frowned, but did not press the subject.

The clock tolled then, announcing midnight and the official start of a new day. He plated a kiss atop her head, his lips lingering for a long moment.

"Happy Birthday, Sammie."

Despite herself, she turned her head to look up at him, giving him a small smile. Ducking his head, Sirius pressed his lips to hers in a quick kiss. When he pulled away, there was an excited glint in his eye.

"I'd like to give you your present," he told her. "Since you're up. If it's alright with you."

Her smile grew and she nodded. Telling her that he'd be right back, he rose and made his way back upstairs. She waited patiently, and he reappeared a few minutes later. His hands were behind his back and he appeared to be struggling to hold something. When he winced, she frowned.

"What have you got back there?" she asked him, swinging her feet down to the floor. "A dragon?"

"Might as well be," Sirius grunted. At her quizzical look, he slowly brought her present out from behind his back. He enjoyed watching her lips part in surprise before her hands came up to cover her mouth, the absolute surprise that filled her eyes. He was sure that she had not expected such a gift.

In his hands was a kitten. It squirmed and fought to try to get loose of his grip, taking swipes at his hand with his claws. She now understood where the scratches on his hand had come from and why he'd been so secretive about them. The kitten was a grey and black tabby and though it was currently very angry at Sirius, she decided that it was one of the cutest things she had ever seen.

"He seems to only be like this with me," Sirius said as he sat down beside her. "So we decided to give it a go."

"Perhaps he senses that you can turn into a rather large dog," she teased.

"That's what James said," Sirius replied with a smile. "Though he didn't say it near as nicely."

"Let me see him."

She held her hands out towards him, and after warning her to be careful, he handed the squirming kitten to her. His warning was unnecessary. As soon as the kitten was in her hands, it relaxed, and after a few mistrusting looks Sirius's way, curled up and began purring. Samantha smiled as she stroked his soft fur.

"How did you get him?" she asked, her gaze moving back up to Sirius's.

"Your brother," was his answer. "I wrote him about it back in February. He agreed to help me find a cat. He stumbled across this guy a few weeks ago. James and Adrien split the cost. So consider it a gift from all of us."

He reached out to try and pet the kitten, but it hissed and swatted at his hand, causing Sirius to scowl and Samantha to giggle.

"He's a British Shorthair. Adrien said that the previous owner called him Mica, but you can change that."

Samantha smiled and ran a hand over the kitten's back. "Mica. I like that. I think I'll keep that name." Her brow furrowed as a thought occurred to her. "But how did he get here?"

"Oh, Adrien brought him last night during dinner. James met him and brought Mica up here. He slept with Remus last night, so when you came in he was hidden. He's become quite taken with Rem-"

He broke off when he noticed the frown on her face. "What is it?"  
"Adrien was here last night?" she asked quietly.

Sirius's face fell. "He was, but very briefly," he replied gently. "We considered telling you but we thought it would give away too much if you knew he was here. I should have risked it so you could see him. I'm sorry, Sam."

She did not respond at first. Her gaze had moved back to the window. When she turned back to him, she did not look upset like he imagined she would.

"It's alright, Sirius," she replied softly.

"No." He shook his head. "It's not. It wasn't my place."

"Sirius." She reached out to cover his hand with hers. "It's alright. Truly. I would have hated it if your surprise had been ruined."

He still felt uncertain, but her look of reassurance was genuine. Smiling, he turned the hand that was covered by hers over, grasping it gently.

"Okay."

She returned his smile, her gaze moving down to the kitten who had curled up and fallen asleep in her lap.

"He's beautiful, Sirius. Thank you."

She leaned towards him and gave him a quick kiss. When she went to pull away, he slipped his hand behind her head to hold her to his lips. A breathy laugh escaped her, and then another. Soon their foreheads were pressed together as they laughed. Her laughter was a beautiful sound. It had been far too long since he had heard it.

When their laughter quieted, he told her it was time for bed. She was in better spirits than when he had found her and she agreed more readily. As they made their way up the staircase, they quietly argued over where the cat would sleep. Sirius said he had been rather comfortable sleeping with Remus. Samantha insisted that since it was her cat, he would sleep with them. She won the argument of course, and that night the cat slept pressed into her side, the side furthest away from Sirius as possible. Sirius did not mind at all.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	33. Chapter Thirty Three

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**So now that this has been posted, I've run out of the lead I had on my updates. I've only got one completed scene left which is not enough for a chapter. I've hit a bit of a writing slump, which happens from time to time after I'm inspired and get a lot written. I think I'm starting to come out of it though. I'm on spring break this week so hopefully I'll get a bit done, but I have a lot of exams and a paper when I come back so sadly not as much free time as I'd like. The good news is that after break, I only have a month of school left. I probably won't have a lot of time to write during that month but after it, I'll have the summer where I hope to get a lot done, maybe even be able to go back to my updating once a week. I'm going to do my best to keep up with updating every other Sunday, but there is a possibility of me not being able to.**

**Feedback is always appreciated!**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Thirty-Three

Mica quickly became quite popular in the common room, but most often he was found in the laps of either Samantha or Remus. Sirius used the fact that the cat hated him but would willingly sit in the lap of a werewolf as proof that the cat simply hated him for no reason at all. Mica had a bad habit of liking to curl up on open textbooks, and though it made studying frustrating for whomever's textbook was chosen, they were never particularly quick about shooing him away.

One evening two weeks after Samantha's birthday, she was in the common room with Amber. They were seating at a table, bent over potions essays. Mica was curled up in Samantha's lap, purring loudly as he slept, which did not help with the frustration she was beginning to get over the homework. She became frustrated so easily these days, with the constant stream of homework and studying. She was not ready to leave Hogwarts, but she wanted her N.E.W.T.s to just be done.

After a awhile, Amber let out a frustrated groan and dropped her head down onto her open textbook.

Samantha smiled as she scrawled out another sentence, at this point just trying to get the essay done so she could move on to whatever came next.

"You'll never finish anything at that rate," she said without looking up.

Even without looking, Samantha could feel her glare.

"Don't act like you're not bloody tired of homework," Amber muttered.

"Of course I am," Samantha replied. "But I also know that there's no getting around it."

Muttering under her breath, Amber lifted her head and grudgingly picked her quill back up. Samantha grinned and watched her for a moment before she turned her attention back to her essay. They worked in silence, though occasionally Samantha's ears would pick up a muttered curse from Amber's direction. It was all she could do not to laugh.

It was only a few minutes later when Amber let out a growl of frustration and dropped her quill again.

"That's not going to get your essay done," Samantha teased just as a loud commotion signaled the quidditch team entering the common room after their practice. Her eyes automatically began seeking out Sirius but he was not in the group. James trailed in behind the rest of the team, and catching her eye, he moved to join them.

"Is Lily patrolling?" he asked as he slid into the chair beside Samantha.

"Not yet," Amber replied. "She went with Remus to the library so they could study until it was time for them to go on patrol."

"Studying," James muttered. "Fascinating."

Samantha smiled. "How was practice?" she asked, turning the subject away from homework.

James grinned. "Fantastic," he replied. "There's no way we won't get the Quidditch Cup this year. Ravenclaw doesn't stand a chance." His face suddenly turned more sober. "But have you seen Sirius?"

"Sirius?" Samantha frowned. "He was at practice."

But James was shaking his head before she finished her sentence. "He never showed up. After you left dinner, he got a letter from his mum. He left to read it in private, saying he'd meet me at practice. But he never did."

Samantha worried her bottom lip. "What do you think it was about?"

James shrugged. "I dunno, but if he missed practice, I'm not sure I want to know."

She glanced around the common room, as if she expected to see him tucked away in a corner. "Where do you think he's gone?"

He glanced around as well. "Think he's gone up to the dormitory?"

"No. I had to go up there to get my potions book. No one was up there."

Sighing heavily, he ran his hands through his hair, making it look even more unkempt than usual. "Come on," he said, using the table top to push himself up.

Samantha's brow furrowed.

"We're going to find him," James explained when he saw her confusion.

Still frowning, Samantha stood from her chair and after exchanging glances with Amber, she allowed James to lead her across the common room to the stairs that led to the boys' dormitories.

"I told you he wasn't up here," she said, still confused, as they began to climb the stairs.

"I know," he replied as he continued to climb.

Perplexed, she silently followed him into his dormitory. He paused a few steps in, seemingly deep in thought, before he was moving towards Remus's bed. He knelt before the werewolf's trunk and began rummaging through it. Her frown deepened, but she gave up questioning him, at least until he straightened from the trunk with an old bit of parchment in his hand.

"You'll understand if I think you've gone mental."

Rolling his eyes, he grabbed her wrist and drug her to his bed.

"Just a minute," he told her, spreading the parchment out onto his bed. She peaked over his shoulder, thinking that there would at least be something written on the parchment, but it was blank. She really was beginning to believe he was going mental. Perhaps he'd taken a bludger to the head in practice.

He slipped his wand out of his robes and made as if he were going to tap it against the parchment. He paused at the last second and glanced at her.

"This is a Marauder secret," he told her in a loud whisper. "You'll be the first who's ever been shown this."

She stared at him for a long moment before saying, "Are we going to find Sirius anytime soon or are you going to keep acting mental?"

"I just wanted to warn you before you're astounded by our brilliance," he said before turning his attention back to the parchment, tapping his wand to it and saying, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

She had to admit, she was impressed as she watched, fascinated, as ink spread from the tip of James's wand over the entire parchment to form a section of Hogwarts, how their nicknames appeared to present to her what was apparently called The Marauder's Map, and how sets of footprints made their way down the inked corridors, labeled with names that she vaguely recognized. It was a brilliant piece of magic. There was no telling how many charms and hours of work and research had gone into this. She could have said something about how they could have put their efforts into something a bit more important, but it was too impressive to say so.

"Animagi, now this. You lot like to stay busy."

James grinned as he tapped his wand on the parchment to shift to another section of the castle. "What can I say? Brilliant minds must be kept busy."

She snorted. "How long did this take you?"

"Well, we started our fifth year, I guess not too long after we successfully accompanied Remus on a full moon for the first time. We finished before Christmas sixth year. Sirius drew in most of Hogwarts. He's got the most precise hand. I helped a bit. Remus figured out the more complicated charms, such as showing every student." He pointed at a spot on the map, and it showed a pair of feet labeled 'James Potter' standing next to a pair that said 'Samantha Dawson'. "And the greeting was his idea. If someone tries to activate the map without saying the right thing, it'll insult them."

"Of course it will," she mumbled, but she was smiling.

James began to frown as he checked all of the places Sirius usually went when he did not want to be bothered. He was not anywhere to be found. He was just beginning to consider the fact that he had left Hogwarts grounds when he caught sight of his name.

"He's on the astronomy tower," he said. "He must really not want to be found. I wouldn't have thought to look for him there."

"Neither would I," Samantha said quietly, starting an his name worriedly.

James glanced at her before turning his attention back to the map. "Mischief managed," he muttered, tapping his wand on the parchment and watching as the lines disappeared. He picked the parchment up and folded it before holding it out to Samantha. "You go. I think he needs you more, whatever it is."

She stared at him for a long moment before slowly taking the map from him. She smiled and turned to go, but his voice stopped her.

"Just remember if you need the map to say the activation spell right. I'll not be held responsible for any insults it throws at you."

"I'll try to remember that," she replied dryly before leaving the room.

The astronomy tower was on the other side of the castle, so it was a bit of a walk to get there. At one point she wondered if she should check the map, that perhaps he would have moved on by the time she got there. But something told her that he had already been up there for a while, so she decided that she would check the map if she arrived and he was gone.

When she stepped out onto the tower and into the chilly wind, she found it did not matter. If she hadn't been looking for him, she may not have seen him. He was leaning against the far wall, his head tilted up towards the sky. With his dark robes and hair, he seemed to melt into the wall, and he did not so much as move when she stepped out into the air. She was not sure if it was because he was hoping she would not see him or if he just was too lost in his own thoughts to notice her.

She made her way across the tower slowly, and his grey eyes only flicked her way when she finally reached him. She sighed as she slid down the wall beside him, her leg brushing against his. For a bit, they sat there in silence. She shivered in the cold air, but she didn't pay much attention to it as her eyes moved to the clear night sky to study the stars.

"How did you find me?" he eventually asked, so quietly that she nearly missed it.

She shifted the map in her hands, drawing his gaze. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips when he caught sight of it.

"James?"

She nodded. "James. He was quite worried, you know. It's not like you to not show up to quidditch practice."

She didn't come right out and ask him what was wrong, but the question was there, unsaid. He rolled his head along the wall to move his gaze back up to the sky. She sighed when he made no effort to explain.

"You don't have to freeze me out," she said softly. "You can talk to me about anything, you know."

She saw a muscle in his jaw jump, but other than that he did not acknowledge what she'd said. She dropped her gaze to her lap, fiddling with the ends of her sleeves.

"It's hard," she said softly. "Trying to move on with my life when you still won't tell me things because you're afraid of upsetting me."

She kept her gaze glued to her hands. Silence stretched between them for what felt like forever to her, and then she heard his robes shift. A moment later she felt his cold hand against her chin, and she allowed him to turn her head so that he could look her in the eye.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, his thumb brushing across her cheek. "I didn't even realize…"

He trailed off. She didn't know if he meant he didn't realize he was doing it or if he did not realize that she was noticing. It was probably a little of both. He tried hard to act normal around her, but it was hard after the months spent dancing around her in fear of upsetting her more. He probably did it more than he realized, sugar coating something or waiting until she was not around to bring it up. And what he did notice, he likely though she did not notice because she never acknowledged it. Most of the time she wrote it off as him being ignorantly protective. But this she could not ignore. He had been the one to teach her how holding emotions in and keeping things to yourself could hurt worse. She wasn't about to allow him do the same to himself.

"Please tell me, Sirius," she whispered. "What's happened?"

He sighed heavily, releasing her chin and turning his gaze away from her.

"I got a letter from my mother tonight," he told her quietly. "Apparently my family didn't deem it important that I know that my Uncle Alphard was ill until he'd already passed."

Her heart grew heavy in her chest. Of all the possibilities she had imagined about what could be wrong, she had not come anywhere near this. Sirius's uncle meant a lot to him. He was the one person in Sirius's family that did not hate him, did not condemn him for his choices. He was probably the only person who could fully make Sirius feel like walking out on his family was the right thing to do.

"Sirius," she said softly, reaching out to rest her hand on his arm. She was at a loss for words. She should have known exactly what to say, considering what she had just gone through. But nothing came. She realized then how hard it must have been for them to comfort her during those months of sorrow. What does one say when someone has lost a person dear to them?

Sirius turned to meet her gaze and shook his head when he caught the look on her face.

"Don't," he told her. "Don't feel pain for me. You've got your own to deal with already."

She frowned at him. "Sirius-"

He cut her off before she could say another word. "No, Sam," he said, his gaze leaving hers once more. "It's nothing in comparison to what you've had to go through. Really, I'll be fine."

"Sirius."

She said his name again, this time more firmly. She placed her hand on his cheek and gently turned his head so that he had to look at her.

"You've lost someone you love," she told him softly. "You're allowed to feel pain. And you absolutely do not have to hide it from me. You loved him, Sirius. You can't pretend his death means nothing."

He stared at her for a long moment. His face began to fall and he closed his eyes tightly, leaning towards her, pressing his face to her neck and wrapping his arms around her so tightly, she wondered if he were afraid she would try to leave him here alone. She slipped her arms around his waist and leaned into him, pressing her face into the top of his head.

She had no idea how long they sat that way. Long enough for her body to begin cramping from being stuck in one position for too long, but she ignored it. He did not cry, but by the slight redness she had seen in his eyes, she was sure he had already at some point before she had found him. How must it feel, she wondered, to lose the one person in your family who understood you?

Eventually Sirius turned his head so that it was no longer pressed into her neck, though he was still leaning into her.

"He's left me his entire fortune," he murmured quietly and one of her hands moved to tangle itself in his hair. "I suppose that means I'm rich again." He let out a bitter laugh. "But mum's not pleased, her brother leaving his fortune to her disgrace of a son. He never disagreed with my mum, not openly. That's why she never deemed him a traitor. But he always respected my view of things. Even when they began to change."

"He cared about you Sirius," she told him, her fingers running through his thick hair. "And that's what people are supposed to do when they care."

He nodded against her shoulder. "We didn't speak much after I left. He sent me letters on my birthdays and at Christmas. Everyone in my family always did what was expected of them. Bellatrix…Narcissa's married that slimy Lucius. Reggie. And I came along and ruined that perfect image and they gladly made me an outcast when I left. Except for Alphard. He respected it. I suppose that's why he's left me his fortune."

He sighed heavily and turned his face into her neck once more. "He's a wise man, I suppose," he mumbled against her skin. "Waiting until death to cross my mother."

She heard the sorrow in his voice and began to rub his back. He had been there for her when her family had died, when she had been in so much pain. Now it was her turn to return the gesture and support him in whatever way that she could.

"When is the funeral?" she asked him after a long silence.

"The day after tomorrow," he muttered, and there was a bitterness in his voice. "I doubt anyone will show up to show their respects. Not after he gave me his money."

"But you'll be there, won't you?"

He shook his head. "I don't know if I could bear it," he whispered, so softly she almost could not hear.

She sighed and leaned her head against his, her hand sliding from his back to his arm. "I'll go with you," she offered softly. "If it would help. If you don't go, you may regret it."

He pulled away from her just enough to meet her gaze. "You'd really go with me?" he asked, voice hoarse.

She leaned her forehead against his and nodded. "Yes, I would."

Sirius closed his eyes and pressed a light kiss to the tip of her nose. "I think I just may be able to make it through with you there."

A smile touched her lips. They stayed up there for a while longer. Sirius did not feel like talking to anyone else. They were silent for the most part. When Sirius realized she was shivering, he wrapped his arms around her tightly and pulled her close. He hoped that maybe if he held her tight enough, he would never lose her like he seemed to lose everyone else.

* * *

"I'm so sorry, Sirius dear."

Grace Potter met them as soon as they walked through the front door of the Potter home the following evening. She gave them both tight hugs and though her attention was more on Sirius and making sure he was handling his uncle's death alright, Samantha did not miss the glances she received. She had not quite gained back the weight she had lost over the last few months, and though it was hardly noticeable now, she was sure it did not get by Grace, who seemed to worry over whatever she could.

"Have the two of you eaten?" she asked as she placed a glass of pumpkin juice in front of them when they moved into the kitchen.

"We ate before we left," Sirius replied, taking a sip of the juice.

"Well, you know where the food is if you get hungry," Grace replied. "Joseph's already gone up to bed. We've been a bit busy lately. If the two of you are fine, I think I'll follow him. I'll cook you a nice breakfast in the morning."

Sirius nodded and gave her a bit of a smile. "We're fine. Go on to bed. We'll see you in the morning."

The two of them remained silent until Grace had disappeared upstairs. When her footsteps disappeared, Sirius glanced at Samantha, who was staring pensively into her juice.

"We knew the war was getting worse," he told her softly.

"I know," she replied. "And the Order's numbers are falling. They've lost my family…" her voice trailed off for a moment and she seemed deep in thought, but she shook herself out of it quickly. "And Adrien says that another member disappeared just recently. He says they think the Death Eaters took him alive and are trying to torture information out of him. And they have no idea where to look for him, either."

Sirius shook his head. "Things will just get worse of the Death Eaters are taking prisoners. Not everyone is loyal enough to keep their mouth shut. And if they don't talk, they'll likely kill them. They wouldn't keep them alive unless they could be useful."

Samantha sighed heavily. "There's no end in sight, is there?"

He reached out and covered her hand with his own. "Things could turn around at any moment," he told her gently. She nodded and a few minutes later, agreed when Sirius suggested they go to bed. When they reached the upstairs hall, they did not even make an effort to sleep in their own beds. Samantha's hand slipped into his as they made their way down the hall, and he followed her to the room that had become her own. He did not miss the way she hesitated before entering the room where she had experienced so much sorrow, but it only lasted a moment. They slept in each other's arms that night, and though Sirius dreaded the following day, neither one suffered from any nightmares.

They woke the next morning to the smell of bacon and sausages, and before they even made their way downstairs they could tell that Grace had outdone herself for their breakfast. They ate what they could, but there was still plenty leftover. She was used to cooking with James around, who ate as if he breathed in the food. She tried to push them to eat more, especially Samantha, which confirmed her suspicions that she thought she was too skinny. But they were stuffed and had to decline.

The two of them made their way to the cemetery in the early afternoon. Grace and Joseph offered to go with them, but Sirius declined the offer politely. As he had predicted, no one else stood around the grave when they arrived. It was just as well. If his family had been present, he would not have been able to make himself approach.

The priest was a short, hunched man who looked as if he was very quickly running out of years. He nodded at them in acknowledgement before opening his Bible to start. Sirius wrapped his arm around Samantha's waist. He heard footsteps behind them and he glanced over his shoulder to find his cousin Andromeda, along with her husband Ted and their five year old daughter, moving to stand behind them. He gave them a small smile before turning his attention to the service. There would be time to talk after.

It was a nicer service than he had expected. The priest of course did not know Sirius's uncle, but Sirius felt that the standard service still did his uncle justice. The old man spoke as if he were addressing a hundred people instead of the meager five that had bothered to show up. After, he shook Sirius's hand and extended his condolences before leaving them be.

Sirius had not seen his cousin in a long time. Ever since she had turned her back on the Black family to marry her muggle-born husband, visits had been hard to come by. He introduced Samantha to them, and for a long while, they stood catching up. Andromeda congratulated Sirius on having the strength to do as she had done, to leave his family. Sirius had not seen their daughter, Nymphadora, since she had been born five years ago, and he greeted her with a large grin and a ruffle of her hair. Her hair was a bright blue, and Sirius explained to Samantha that she was a Metamorphmagus.

Eventually Andromeda said that it was time to go, that Nymphadora became impossible if she missed her nap. She told Sirius to not be such a stranger before they left, that now that he was leaving Hogwarts, he had no excuse to not visit. He laughed as they hugged tightly and promised he would visit. Telling him that she would hold him to that, they left.

"See?" Samantha had said to him softly as they had watched the Tonks family walk away. "People came to remember him."

Sirius smiled and pulled her into his side and told her it was time to go home.

That night they lay awake in Samantha's room. It was their last night away from Hogwarts, their last night with a break from their lives. Sirius was not sure if he was ready to go back. He sighed as he stared up at the ceiling.

"I wish I had kept better contact with him," he said quietly.

"I know," Samantha replied, turning on her side to face him, her hand moving to rest on his chest.

"I don't want to lose anyone else." He turned his head to meet her gaze. "My family's turned their back on me, my uncle is dead." He paused, and turned his gaze back up to the ceiling. "Do you know why I used to move around from girl to girl? Why I never allowed anything more than a quick snog in a broom cupboard or a trip to my bed?"

Though she and James had discussed this once before, she felt as if he did not expect her to reply, so she remained silent until he answered for her.

"I don't handle being abandoned well. I suppose it stems from my family, the way they slowly turned their backs on me when I was sorted into Gryffindor, when I began to realize that I disagreed with their views. I ran away before they fully rejected me because I wouldn't have been able to stand it. And when James and Remus and Peter weren't speaking to me…" He fell silent for a moment, likely remembering those terrible months. "Well, you saw how well I took that.

"And those girls. A relationship was always out of the question for me. If I fell for a girl and she left me… That's why I always waited for one to come to me. And they always did. But then I got to know you," He turned to look back at her, "And you were worth the risk."

A heavy guilt rose up in her throat and she swallowed hard. "But I did leave you. Without even allowing you to explain."

"That was just a misunderstanding," he told her gently. "And here we are, a year later, and it's as if nothing's changed."

She turned away. "Everything's changed," she whispered.

He sighed and rolled to face her, reaching over her stomach to grasp her right hand, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

"Things will continue to change. But it'll be easier if we go through it together."

She turned back to him and gave him a small smile. "Together," she agreed, leaning forward and giving him a kiss.

"I've been thinking," he said when they pulled apart. "Alphard's left me with a fortune. I thought that perhaps I'd search for my own place once we left Hogwarts. Maybe a flat in London."

"It would be a wise way to start spending the money," she told him.

"I hoped that maybe you would come with me."

She was taken aback by that and stared at him for a long moment.

"Sirius," she eventually breathed, not quite sure what to say.

"I know it's a big step," he said when he saw her uncertainty. "You don't have to answer right now. I know you want to take things slow, but I'd like nothing more than if you came with me."

She smiled and squeezed his hand. "I'll think about it," she promised.

"That's all I ask," he replied, giving her a smile of his own.

They sealed it with another kiss.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	34. Chapter Thirty Four

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**It's just after midnight here and technically now Sunday, so I'm going ahead and posting the chapter.**

**As you'll see when you reach the end of this chapter, it sounds like the end of the story. But really the story is just getting started. I did consider splitting it up into three parts instead of two, but I decided it wouldn't flow as well. So there are plenty more chapters to go. I do plan on making bigger jumps in the timeline when it will flow right and there will be more situations described and not written out all the way, but in a way that keeps the story flowing smoothly without dragging it out way too much.**

**Feedback is always appreciated!**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Thirty Four

It was hard for them to return to school the next morning after spending two nights away. It had been a much-needed break away, but once they returned, they had to get back into their studying routine. They had only missed one day of classes, but they still felt impossibly behind.

May arrived amidst the seemingly endless hours of studying that fit between classes, meals, and whatever sleep they were lucky to get. With their exams only a month away, they were in the final stretch. Stress was beginning to get the best of some of them. Remus was often seen muttering to himself under his breath as he walked through the corridors. Lily had been particularly irritable lately, and took it out mostly on James, who took it all in stride. Peter began to have little bouts of panic attacks as he was studying. The rest of them managed to mask their stress better, but despite the fact that none of them were ready to leave Hogwarts, they could not wait until the exams were behind them.

One afternoon found Samantha and James seated in the library, bent over their Defense Against the Dark Arts textbooks. Sirius had been with them, but he'd given up nearly an hour ago. Samantha was surprised that James had lasted this long, but with the way he was fidgeting, she was certain he would not last much longer. She found she was right when, after fifteen more minutes, he slammed his book closed and dropped his head to the table.

"Can we just take these exams now and get our suffering over with?" he moaned.

She shook her head, a smile on her lips. "Just think of how good it will feel when they're finally over with."

"If I survive that long."

"You're just as bad as Sirius," she told him, closing her textbook more gently. "Maybe we should take a break?"

He glanced up at her. "I have been waiting for you to say that for an hour."

"You could have just asked," she said as they stood and began gathering their things.

"Lily's gotten me out of that habit," he replied as they made their way out of the library. "Every time I suggest a break, she nearly tears my head off."

"Lily's always taken studying a bit seriously. Just another month. Then she'll calm down."

"We all will have." He glanced at her. "How are you handling things?"

She could tell by the way his voice had turned a bit more serious that he did not mean just preparing for their N.E.W.T.s. She did not particularly want to have this conversation, but she knew he would not allow her to get away with simply saying, "Fine."

She shrugged. "Some days are better than others," she replied quietly. "Especially now that it's getting close to leaving Hogwarts. I have to keep reminding myself that I won't be returning home."

James sighed and threw his arms over her shoulders. "I know," he said. "But my parents will try their hardest to make it feel like home."

Samantha gave him a small smile. "You know that they're like my second family," she told him. "But I don't think I'll ever be able to help feeling like a guest in your house."

"Are you going to move?" James asked. "I don't know if it would be safe, living on your own."

"Well," she adjusted the textbook in her hands, "Sirius has asked me to move with him."

James's arm dropped from her shoulders and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. It was more from excitement than shock and she regretted telling him. This was James Potter. She knew he would overact to something like this.

"Really?" His voice was just was excited as his face. "And what did you tell him?"

"That I'd think about it," was her answer. James deflated the slightest bit. "We've not been back together for too long. I'm not sure how I feel about taking such a big step so quickly."

"But even half the time the two of you weren't together, you still seemed a bit like a couple."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked through narrowed eyes.

James shrugged. "Just that maybe it's not as big of a step as it seems."

She fell silent as they climbed a staircase, her arms hugging her textbook to her chest tightly. When they reached the top of the stairs, James nudged her with his elbow.

"Maybe it's what you need," he told her quietly. "If you feel like a guest in our house. Maybe finding a place with Sirius would feel more like home."

"I know. I've thought of that, too. But…what if something comes between us again?"

He shook his head. "You should stop worrying about things like that. If he's stupid enough to let you go again then he doesn't deserve you."

She shot him a look, but did not comment on what he had said, instead saying, "Well, I have decided that if I do move in with him, I'm going to pay for half of it."

James snorted. "Because he's going to let you."

"He will if he wants me to come with him," she replied stubbornly.

"I'll let you fight that battle," James told her.

Their conversation turned to other things as they continued to make their way back to the common room. How James was only falling for Lily even more now that they were together. How Remus seemed to be particularly happy lately now that he had a girlfriend, but how James noticed him watching her almost worriedly sometimes.

"Perhaps he's worried about when he leaves Hogwarts," Samantha suggested. "She's still got a year, so they'll be apart for long periods of time."

James shrugged. "Maybe. I've tried talking to him about it, but he dodges me."

"He'll tell you when he's ready," she told him.

"I suppose he will. Either that or Sirius and I will just have to drag it out of him. We're particularly good at that."

She shook her head and muttered something about being terrible friends under her breath. They had reached Gryffindor Tower by then, and when they stepped inside, they found Sirius lounging by the fireplace with Peter, both seemingly making a point to not be studying. They joined them gladly, happy to have at least a short break from school work.

* * *

"Do you reckon we'll win the quidditch cup?"

Sirius sighed and glanced at James over Samantha's head. "I reckon," he replied, "You're going to fail your N.E.W.T.s if you keep spending all of your time worried about quidditch."

"Thank you. I've been trying to tell him that for weeks," Lily spoke up from where her head was resting in James's lap, a book raised over her head.

Sirius chuckled and turned his attention back to the book in front of him. They were seated outside under the tree they liked to frequent, taking advantage of the beautiful spring day. Sirius's back was leaning against the trunk. Samantha was settled between his legs, her back resting against his chest. She had her Transfiguration textbook opened and resting against his knees. James and Lily were seated to their left, a bit away from the trunk. Remus was also leaning against the trunk, and seemed to be very deeply studying potions. Peter was seated not far from him. He had a textbook opened in front of him, but he seemed to be more interested in shredding blades of grass instead of studying. Amber had given up all pretenses of studying and was dozing in the sun, her arm slung over her eyes.

Despite his berate to James, he truthfully wasn't paying much attention to studying. He helped Samantha whenever she had a question, but most of the time he stared unseeingly at the book's pages, his mind wandering. Lately he'd realized just what leaving Hogwarts would mean. They'd no longer be coming back to school, the one place that was safest from Death Eaters and the war. They'd be out in the real world and would have to be alert all the time. He was not sure if he would have ever thought and worried about this ahead of time if it hadn't been for the deaths of Samantha's family. But now it seemed he thought of it a lot, especially now that he had decided to get a place of his own and had invited Samantha to join him. For the first time he truly realized that agreeing to help her learn to duel could save her life, and he had become anxious to begin. If it were not for N.E.W.T.s, he already would have.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?"

He was drawn from his thoughts by Samantha's soft voice. Her head was leaning against his shoulder, tilted to look up at him.

"I'm studying," he replied, voice indignant.

She smiled and shook her head. "You've hardly studied the entire time we've been out here."

Sirius sighed as he relaxed against the trunk of the tree, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "Don't tell Lily that. She'll accuse me of being a bad influence on James."

She laughed softly and glanced over at James, who was at least looking as if he was studying, but his rapidly blinking eyes said that he was trying his hardest to not fall asleep.

"I can't blame the two of you," she said, her eyes closing. "The day is far too pretty to be studying."

"Now you're being a terrible influence on her, Padfoot," Remus drawled from beside them.

Sirius scoffed. "I at least look like I'm studying. Peter and Channing are the ones who've given up all pretenses of it."

"This is a part of my studying process, Black," Amber retorted, not bothering to move from her comfortable position. "Besides, I don't particularly care what I get on my N.E.W.T.s. I'm going to travel the world when I leave Hogwarts."

"With what funds?" James asked her loudly.

"I've been saving," Amber snapped at him good naturally. "And my parents have agreed to help as well. My mum says she always wanted to travel, so she's encouraging my want to."

"Maybe it would be better," Lily told her quietly. "With the war going on."

That made them all fall silent for a bit. It was true. The war had not spread outside of the country, not yet at least. It would be safer to just flee. For a brief moment, Sirius even considered it. But as quickly as he did, he knew that he never would. And even if he wanted to, Samantha would not, and he would not leave her. No, running was not his style. He would stand and fight and defend those who could not defend themselves.

"Did you ever figure out what you wanted to do after school, Lily?" Sirius eventually asked in an attempt to break the subdued silence.

The attempt worked, if not only because they wanted a distraction from thinking about the war.

"I thought I'd try to get a job at St. Mungo's," she replied. "Not a healer like Sam wants to do, but if I do well enough on my potions N.E.W.T., I thought maybe I could see about becoming a potion maker for the hospital."

James pulled a face. "Making potions for a living. Sounds very fascinating," he teased, earning himself a slap on the shoulder.

"And you're going to work in your father's shop, right Peter?" Amber asked, glancing over at the boy in question.

Peter nodded. "Yeah. Dad wants me to keep the shop going when he retires. I suppose it won't be a bad career, running my own shop."

"And you Remus? I don't think I've ever heard you talk about what you wanted as a career."

Remus shrugged and shifted a bit uncomfortably. Amber was the only one in the group who did not know that he was a werewolf. He had let Lily in on the secret not long after she had started dating James and she had taken it as well as Samantha had. They told him Amber would be the same, but he could not work up the courage to tell her. He wasn't sure why. He trusted her, but he did not know her as well as he knew Lily and Samantha. They respected his wished to not tell her yet, and he did feel bad making them keep his secret for him. He would tell her one day, but he could not say he disliked the fact that her plans of travel would delay it even more.

"I'm not entirely sure," he replied. "I wouldn't mind just working in a book shop."

It was likely the only job he would be able to get. A muggle bookshop, of course. But he was not sure how he would hold the job with the time he would need to take every month to recover from the full moon. It was something he'd worried about, especially lately.

Sirius saw how uncomfortable Remus had become and quickly changed the subject to speculating what their N.E.W.T. exams would be like. Each subject would contain and written and practical exam. Samantha sighed and listened to what they thought they would be tested on. She was worried about the Transfiguration practical. She had to perform at least decently to be able to train to be a healer. Sirius and James had been working with her nearly daily, and they assured her that she was ready, but she still just wanted the exam behind her. Pushing her worries aside, she turned her attention back to the text in front of her. Worrying would not help her to pass the exam.

The group remained there until it was time for dinner. Not much more studying was done, but they did not care. They deserved breaks every now and then. They were lighthearted and not even worrying about their N.E.W.T.s by the time they headed back to the castle. They spent the rest of the evening just enjoying each other's company. They knew that once they left school, everything would be different.

* * *

"Where's Remus?" Sirius asked when he entered his dormitory and noticed the absence of the werewolf. He had been in the common room with Samantha, but she had decided to go up to bed early that night. Peter was still studying in the common room, so Sirius had gone upstairs, thinking both James and Remus were up there, but apparently Remus was elsewhere.

"The library," James replied, glancing up briefly from the letter he was penning to his parents.

With the N.E.W.T.s less than a month away, the rules of curfew had been extended for the seventh years so they could study later in the library if they wished.

Sirius did not miss the crease between James's eyebrows, the way his quill stilled.

"Something wrong?" he questioned, kneeling beside his trunk to put away his potions textbook.

James shrugged, though Sirius could not see. "Something seemed off about him before he left. He was a bit snappish."

"The full moon's in two days," Sirius pointed out. "I don't find it surprising that his temper was a bit short."

"I suppose," James agreed. "But he's been off for a while, like something's been bothering him."

Sirius stood with a grunt and crossed his arms over his chest. "I think he's worried about after Hogwarts, about finding a job."

"It just seems like there's more," James mused.

Sirius sighed and dropped his arms. "Is this your way of asking me to talk to him, Prongs? Because you know you can just come out and ask instead of dancing around it."

"I thought about talking to him myself," James told him, not quite answering the question. "I started to try, but he was in such a foul mood I allowed it to drop. But he's always talked with you easier, so I thought maybe you would have more luck."

Sirius stared at him for a long moment before turning and reaching back into his trunk, pulling his potions textbook back out.

"What are you doing?" James questioned as Sirius turned back around.

"If I'm going to the library," Sirius answered, "I've got to look like I'm going there to study, don't I?"

James grinned at his words. "You're a good friend, mate."

"Yeah," Sirius said as he moved to the door. "Well, I reckon I'm a lot better than you."

As he closed the door behind him, he heard the loud thunk of James's textbook slamming into the door.

The corridors were deserted. Sirius had not expected any less. Only the seventh years were allowed in the library after hours, and now that the other students were concentrating on their finals as well, the common room was where most preferred to stay. But Remus had always liked to do his studying in the library. When he reached the doors, Sirius briefly wondered if Remus would be alone or if Leah would be there with him. If she was, there would be no getting Remus to talk. But when he stepped inside, he found only a few students and the werewolf seated alone at table towards the back.

Remus did not look up until Sirius dropped into the chair across from him, surprise in his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. Sirius was not often found in the library, especially not at this time. Usually by now he'd given up on any sort of homework.

"I'm studying," Sirius replied, placing his potions textbook on the table for emphasis.

Remus regarded him for a long moment before lifting an eyebrow. "You expect me to believe you've really come here to study?"

Sirius shrugged and opened his textbook to a random spot, dropping his gaze to the page. "Believe what you will. But I do care about my grades, you know."

Remus stared at him for an moment longer before he dropped his gaze back to his work. Sirius continued staring at his book, though he did not absorb the words that were in front of him. He was only biding his time. He allowed several minutes of silence to stretch between them to get Remus's mind back on his work before he spoke again.

"Where's Leah?" he questioned, causing Remus's eyes to jerk up to his face. "The two of you are always studying in here together."

The werewolf shrugged. "Not tonight," he replied shortly before dropping his gaze back to his textbook. Sirius did not miss the look that briefly flashed through the other boy's eyes before he'd moved his gaze away.

"Is there something wrong?"

Remus may not have bothered to reply if Sirius's tone had not changed so much. But Remus had gone so long without friends that when the ones he now showed concern, he found himself unable to ignore it.

"Do you think a girl could ever love someone like me?" he asked softly.

For a long moment, Sirius was speechless. He'd known something had been bothering Remus, but he hadn't expected something like this. They'd touched the subject briefly when Sirius had been trying to talk him into asking her to Hogsmeade, but he'd thought the subject had been put to rest when Remus finally did ask her on a date. The signs were suddenly there, how worried about Leah he would become when the full moon was approaching, how he seemed to avoid her for days after.

He sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair. "I should have seen… I can usually see these things without you having to tell me." He was muttering, more to himself than Remus, but the other boy couldn't help but smile slightly and shake his head.

"You've had a lot on your mind lately, Sirius," he told him. "I don't blame you at all for not noticing."

Sirius shook his head and dropped his hand. "I should have noticed," he replied firmly. "And to answer your question, if a girl doesn't love you for everything you are, then she doesn't deserve you. And she's out there somewhere. If you haven't already found her."

For a long moment, Remus was silent, unable to meet Sirius's gaze. Sirius did not speak, allowing the other boy to take his time in saying whatever it was that he wanted to say. Finally, Remus lifted his gaze to meet Sirius's, his expression unreadable.

"She suspects something," he said softly. "She hasn't said anything, but I can see it in her eyes. When I tell her I'm going home to my ill mother when I look ill myself. I can't blame her. I should have known she would become suspicious. She's a smart girl. It's only a matter of time until she figures it out. I should end it before she does."

"You could try telling her," Sirius replied gently. "Just because she's close to figuring it out doesn't mean it has to end."

"And if she doesn't accept me?" Remus questioned, voice sharper than he intended. "She's still got a year at Hogwarts. If I told her and she didn't want to stay with me, what would stop her from telling one of her friends? And before we knew it, the entire school would know and I'd have no hope for a normal life."

Sirius was shaking his head before Remus was done speaking. "She's not the sort to do that."

"I've met many people in my life who weren't 'the sort to do that', but when it came down to it, that didn't stop them. I lucked out with you lot, but can you blame me for trying to keep it from you? For not jumping at the chance to tell anyone else you feel I should trust? The past taught me hard lessons, but I've learned them well enough. I can try to make things work but eventually she's going to not be able to take me keeping things from her or she'll piece it together. Do you see that ending well, Sirius?"

Sirius opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He was not sure how to reply, what to say. Remus gave him a knowing look when he did not speak.

"It's not as simple as it sounds, is it?" he asked softly.

Sirius sighed. "I know it's not simple. I suppose you should do what you think is best. I guess all I can say is that if you're not even considering telling her, then perhaps she's not the one."

Remus nodded and dropped his gaze. "I know."

Silence stretched between them for a long time. Remus's eyes were glued to his textbook, but his eyes were still, not taking in any of the information. Eventually, the werewolf ran a hand through his hair, shoving the book away from him.

"I ought to end things, I suppose."

"If that's what you think is best," Sirius replied. "It's better to end things than to drag out a relationship you feel like is going nowhere."

Remus nodded and dropped his forehead into his hands. "When did our lives become so complicated?" he groaned. His voice was a little less heavy, not quite as worried, and that was how Sirius knew that the right decision had been made.

He gave the werewolf a small smile and shook his head. "Our lives have always been complicated."

Remus snorted as he began to collect his homework. "Isn't that the truth?" he murmured.

"Done studying for the night?" Sirius questioned, watching Remus collect his things.

"I've earned it, haven't I?" Remus asked as he stood from the table.

"That you have," Sirius said in agreement, standing as well.

They were silent as they made their way out of the library. When they were heading down the deserted corridor, Remus said, "Thanks for listening, Padfoot."

Sirius grinned and threw his arm around Remus's shoulders. "Anytime, Moony. Anytime."

* * *

Remus spoke to Leah the next day. He hadn't been sure about breaking it off before their exams, but Sirius had urged him to go ahead and do it, that it was not fair to her when he knew he would be ending things. He pulled her aside after dinner and she seemed to already have an understanding as to what was going on. It was easier than he thought. It turned out that she had decided to tell him that if he could not bring himself to tell her the truth, that perhaps they should not be together. He only brought it up before she was able. They hugged after, and she wished Remus luck on his life after Hogwarts before leaving him. He'd been overwhelmed for a brief moment, wondering if he had done the right thing, wishing he wasn't so scared to take risks, but he remembered Sirius's words and pushed the feelings aside. It had been the right thing to do. One day, he would not regret it.

The end of May arrived rapidly. The last weekend of the month brought with it the last quidditch match of the year: Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw. The Gryffindors were relieved when the day of the match finally arrived because they were growing tired of James Potter going on about the quidditch cup. James's ranting at least became worth it when, after a long brutal match, Matthew Olmstead's hand closed around the snitch. Gryffindor was in an uproar. After losing the cup last year to Slytherin, winning was just that much sweeter. That night, the exams were on no one's mind as they celebrated late into the night. McGonagall did not even come berate them for the excessive noise.

After the match, the seventh years had one final week to prepare for their N.E.W.T.s. It was hard to believe that after months of studying, the time had finally arrived to see if their hard work paid off. Though James and Sirius had been tutoring her, Samantha was nervous about her Transfiguration exam. Each subject's exam had two parts. The first week, the written exams would be given in which the entirety of the seventh years would gather in the Great Hall to take their exams. The second week would be when the practical exams were administered. These were more nerve-wracking. A few students would be called into a room at a time and would be required to show one of the exam administers that they knew how to do certain spells or brew certain potions or whatever else the subject they were being tested on required. The practical part of the exams was what Samantha was more worried about.

The week of written exams flew by in a blur. It was what felt like endless hours seated in the silent Great Hall as they struggled to remember everything they had learned to answer the questions they were asked. Two exams were administered per day, one after breakfast and one after lunch, in order to fit all of the subjects in. With each person taking slightly different classes, the group of Gryffindors were coming and going at different times, but they hardly noticed. Once one exam was over, they turned their attention to whichever one came next.

The practical exams were a slower ordeal. The students lined up in the corridor outside of the classroom that was chosen for the exam to be administered in, waiting for their names to be called. They were expected to stay fairly quiet to not disturb those in the classroom, but whispers filled the hall as they speculated what they were going to be expected to do. The classroom chosen had two doorways, the one they waited outside to be called and one that was opposite their door that led to a corridor parallel to the one they waited in. Those that had taken the exam were not to return to where the students waited so that they could not tell them about the exam.

Their first exam was Defense Against the Dark Arts where they were expected to perform a few basic defense spells. In Potions, they were asked to brew Draught of Living Death, a difficult potion that they had brewed in class back at the beginning of their sixth year. For Potions, they were tested in two large groups for sake of time. Lily and Samantha's Herbology practical was held in the greenhouses, and they were expected to identify several different plants and list what their uses were. James and Sirius, who both took muggle studies, lucked out because that class only had a written portion for its exam. The Charms exam was very similar to the Defense exam in which they were asked to demonstrate their ability to perform several charm spells.

Samantha felt it was her bad luck that Transfiguration was the very last practical exam. It was the only one she was dreading and though she kept telling herself that once she did it, she was done with her N.E.W.T.s, but that didn't stop her from worrying over what they would be asked to do, whether or not she would know what to do.

Sirius was called in the first group along with Amber, and he kissed Samantha's cheek, wished her luck, and told her she would be fine before disappearing through the door. She began fidgeting, knowing she would be called next. No more than five minutes passed before the next group was called, including herself and Lily.

After they had stepped into the room, Lily and Samantha shot each other encouraging looks before moving to where they were indicated. They called four students at a time, and once in the room, they were led to separate corners where an exam official waited to grade them. She saw a rat sitting on the desk in front of the fat, balding wizard and her heart dropped. She'd never been good at animal transfiguration. She took a deep breath to calm herself, the tips James and Sirius had given her running through her brain. The wizard nodded and smiled kindly at her and she managed a tentative smile in return. She thought she saw a flash of recognition in his eyes, but it was gone too quickly to be sure.

"All we want you to do," he told her in a deep voice, "Is transfigure the rat into a goblet."

_Oh is that all?_ she thought dryly as she slipped her wand out of her robes. She took another deep breath, moved her wand in the correct motion, and murmured what she hoped was the correct incantation. She held her breath as she watched the rat slowly turn into a goblet, his tail disappearing and his fur turning to class.

The wizard gave a nod of approval and was about to mark her score when the goblet let out a small squeak. Samantha winced and the wizard chuckled.

"It's still good enough to pass," he assured her as he wrote down her score. "Congratulations. You're dismissed."

She kept her composure as she exited the room, but then she slumped against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief. Lily was still in the room, but instead of waiting for her, Samantha began to make her way down the corridor, hoping to run into Sirius. They hadn't discussed meeting up after their exam, so she began to make her way towards the common room where she was sure a celebration would already be breaking out. The other students would have already finished their exams and once the fifth and seventh years were done, there would be a lot to celebrate about.

Strong arms suddenly wrapped around her waist and she allowed them to draw her into a nook in the corridor. She turned to face Sirius and he pulled her against him, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers.

"How did it go?" he mumbled.

She allowed him to kiss her again before she replied. "Well, if you like your goblets to squeak, I did fantastically."

Sirius chuckled. "Well, you seem to be in high spirits, so you must have done well."

"Well enough," she answered with a shrug.

He grinned. "And now we're done. We'll go home soon."

"For good," she said, some of her excitement vanishing.

"Yes," he agreed. "But now you'll be able to start training to become a healer."

Her smile returned. "That's true. I have waited a long time for that."

He tucked her hair behind her ear. "Have you thought about what I asked you?"

She bit her lip and nodded. "I have. I think…maybe I'd like to say yes."

He smiled and rested his forehead against hers. "I'd hoped you would," he breathed before kissing her again.

Their remaining days at Hogwarts seemed to pass by far too quickly. The night exams ended, a huge celebration was thrown in the common room. It was hard to believe that all of their studying was now done. They spent the next several days relaxing, free from their responsibilities to their school work. One day was spent lying out by the lake and another, Sirius and Samantha spent wandering the castle, committing it to memory because they did not know if they would ever return there.

Their last night at Hogwarts was bittersweet. Another celebration was thrown in the common room, as was customary every year. They made sure that they enjoyed the night. They stayed up late, figuring they could just rest on the train ride to London the next day. When James had brought out the firewhiskey and he and Sirius were standing on a table singing drunkenly, Lily decided to put the party to an end before McGonagall came to investigate. It took a bit of convincing to get the two boys down off the table, but once they gave in, the rest of the party broke up rather quickly and the seventh years made their way to sleep in their beds one last time.

The next morning after breakfast, the students gathered on the platform to board the Hogwarts Express for the trip home. Sirius and Samantha stood apart from the other students hand-in-hand, staring up at the castle that rose up in the distance.

"I'm going to miss it," Samantha said quietly, a sigh in her voice.

"Me, too," Sirius replied. "It taught me a lot. But I'm ready to move on to the next part of my life."

She turned her head towards him and gave him a smile. They'd agreed to start searching for a flat after they'd gotten settled in for the summer. In a week, Adrien and Nichole were to be married and until that had passed, they would not have much time for house hunting. Especially since they would also be concentrating on their occupations. Sirius had to go through an interview to be accepted into the Auror program, a requirement established since the rise of the Death Eaters. Samantha's was a bit easier. Once she was confirmed to have passed her N.E.W.T.s, she would be able to attend the training that began at the beginning of July. Insufficient candidates were weeded out along the way instead of at the beginning of the process.

The whistle blew, giving the last warning before the train left the station. Their trunks had already been placed on the train, and they headed to the train quickly to climb on board and head to the compartment the Marauders had always inhabited. With another sound of the whistle, the train pulled out of the station towards the start of the rest of their lives.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	35. Chapter Thirty Five

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**Here's the next installment! The bad news is after this I have nothing done but part of the next scene. The good news is that after this coming Friday, I am done with school until August. I'm debating what sort of update schedule I'll have over the summer. I may keep it at every other Sunday and just keep this schedule going and hopefully get a bit ahead again. Or, like last summer, I may decide to update every week. I feel like what's likely going to happen is the same schedule we have now, with maybe a bonus update thrown in every now and then. I have no idea how much time I'll have to put towards writing so I don't want to promise anything I can't keep. **

**That being said, since I have finals this week and hardly anything to the next chapter, it's possible I may not have an update ready to go on May 13. I'll try my best to update on time, but I just want to put that out there in case I don't get it done in time. If any of you are going through final exams right now, too, I wish you luck. **

* * *

Fate

Chapter Thirty Five

"Here, let me get that."

Samantha carefully set the bouquet of daisies down on the ancient armoire that stood in the corner of the room before reaching and adjusting Nichole's veil on her head so that it was more secure and sat more straight. She brushed a few wisps of her blonde hair out of her face and grinned.

"You look beautiful. My brother doesn't deserve you."

Nichole threw her a teasing look. "Oh, stop it. Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve your brother."

That made Samantha snort, a sound that seemed unbefitting of the lavender dress robes that she currently wore.

"Don't tell him that," she warned her soon -to-be sister-in-law. "He'll never let you forget that you said it."

"Oh, I'd never actually tell him. But I do occasionally think it."

Samantha adjusted the bride's dress one more time before stepping back to admire her work. "I think you're ready."

It was a simple white dress, and her hair was curled and topped with a veil. The wedding was to be simple; only a handful of people had been invited to the little church for the ceremony and the reception that would be held outside afterwards. James was there as Adrian's best man and Samantha was the maid of honor. Lily was in attendance as James's date as was Sirius as Samantha's. A few members of the Order were in attendance as well, and Nichole's father. It did not feel safe to plan a large gathering in a war that was growing increasingly worse. Nichole did not seem to mind the simplicity of the ceremony. As long as she was marrying Adrian, she didn't particularly care for it to be an extravagant event. There was a small cloud hanging over the wedding party, the absence of those who should have been there obvious. Samantha knew her brother was taking it harder than he was letting on, having his wedding without their family. But he was putting on a brave face, as was she. It was his wedding day, after all. It was to be a happy day.

A knock sounded on the door and James poked his head into the room, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Are you dressed?" he asked. Nichole hid a smile, but Samantha rolled her eyes.

"Of course we are, James. What is it?"

He opened his eyes and grinned when he caught sight of them. "You both look fantastic," he said before asking, "Are you good to go? We're about ready to start."

Samantha glanced back at Nichole. The other girl suddenly looked nervous, but she nodded, and a moment later, her father appeared to lead her down the aisle and give her away.

It was a beautiful ceremony. In the week that she had been home, Samantha had rarely seen her brother look anything less than exhausted and worn, the lines on his face adding ten years to his age. But today, he looked as if the past six months had not happened, and that was enough reason for Samantha to be glad that they had decided to go through with the wedding when they had originally planned back in December.

After the ceremony, the few guests moved outside into the beautiful summer day while the wedding party was held behind for photographs. The photographer was a wizard, though he was using a muggle camera for the benefit of Nichole's family. He would use a special potion when he developed them so the ones that would go to Adrian and Nichole would be wizarding photographs. After posing for what seemed like an endless amount of photos, James and Samantha were finally released to go outside. Sirius found her right away and handed her a glass of iced pumpkin juice, which she took gratefully. The small church had grown hot rather quickly.

"You look beautiful," he told her after she had sipped some of the juice. "Purple is a good color for you."

"It's lavender," Samantha corrected in a jokingly exasperated voice.

Sirius sighed and shook his head. "They're the same thing."

"They most certainly are not. Purple's darker. I'm not as fond of it."

"Whatever you say," Sirius sighed, placing his hand on the small of her back just as Adrian and Nichole stepped from the church. Guests moved forward to congratulate them, but Sirius and Samantha hung back.

"He looks happy," Sirius said as he watched Adrien shake the hand of Joseph Potter. Adrien had a broad grin on his face, his arm wrapped firmly around Nichole's waist .

"He does," Samantha agreed softly. "I haven't seen him smile like that since…"

She trailed off. But there was no need to continue. Sirius was well aware as to what she meant. He glanced at her and saw that she had a slight frown on her face, her eyes staring off into the distance.

"Hey," Sirius called gently and after a moment, she turned her gaze to him. "Are you alright?"

She gave him a poor attempt at a smile and shook her head. "It's nothing."

Sirius gave her a dubious look. "Why don't I believe you? Now tell me. What's wrong?"

"I shouldn't feel like this today," she said quietly. "That we're moving on…it feels like we're forgetting them."

Sirius sighed and slid his hand around her waist. "It's okay to move on," he told her. "And they've certainly not been forgotten." His fingers found the locket around her neck, which she had chosen to wear instead of dressier jewelry. "They never will be."

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "They were supposed to be here for this."

"I know," he said, pressing kiss to the top of her head. "But they are watching. Of that I'm certain."

She tilted her head up to look at him, giving him a smile. It was small, but this time it was genuine.

"Come on," he said, starting to lead her forward. "Let's go congratulate your brother."

The rest of the reception was just as nice as the ceremony. Grace brought out a large wedding cake that she had baked herself, and when they cut the cake, Adrien had smashed his piece of cake into Nichole's face. Samantha had winced, knowing that some brides were temperamental about that, but Adrien knew his new bride well because she returned the gesture without missing a beat.

When the ceremony came to close, Adrien made sure to seek his sister out and give her another hug before leaving. He did not know when he would next see her. With the war, he and Nichole had decided that a honeymoon would not be possible, but things were busy at headquarters and she would begin training at St. Mungo's soon. He promised her that he'd stop by for dinner at the Potters' as soon as he could. She decided not to mention that she and Sirius planned to move out by the end of the summer. She could tell him at different time.

She and Sirius returned to the Potters along with James and his parents. As they climbed the stairs, Grace shouted up them that she was going to start dinner soon, causing them to exchange amused glances. They had eaten plenty at the wedding, but Grace would never miss a meal.

Before she slipped into her room to change out of her dress robes, Sirius caught her hand.

"Do you feel better?" he asked her softly.

She nodded and gave him a small smile. "I do. Really. Thank you. You always know the right thing to say."

"Maybe not always," he replied before he gave her a crooked grin. "But usually."

She rolled her eyes and shoved him away before slipping inside her room to change. She smiled and brought her fingers to the locket around her neck. She was certain that today, her parents had been watching closely, and she was sure that they were proud of Adrien. She hoped that one day she would make them proud as well.

* * *

Two days later, they received their N.E.W.T. scores. Sirius, of course, had passed with flying colors. James only managed an E in potions but did better in the other courses. Samantha, to her surprise, managed to get an E in Transfiguration. Sirius told her he knew she could do it all along.

They had all managed to receive the scores required for the careers that they hoped to pursue. By the end of the week, Sirius and James had interviews at Auror Headquarters. Joseph gave them tips at breakfast the morning of their interviews, though he said that the hiring process was a lot different now. There used to be a long series of character and aptitude tests before you were hired, but now, in the heat of the war, they were too desperate for more Aurors to have such a long process. Instead, they relied on interviews conducted by the Head Auror, Alastor Moody. He deemed himself a good enough judge of character to know if the candidate would make a good Auror or not. And if he turned out to be wrong, the trainee would be tossed from the program immediately. It was not the ideal way to hire, but it produced faster results. The training itself had been decreased. What used to take three years to complete now took two. One year of training, then one year of mentorship, and then if your mentor deemed you ready, you would become a full Auror. Adrien's mentorship had been with Moody himself, and he had just been cleared to be a full Auror. Having gone through the interview process himself, he had told them that it was not as bad as it sounded.

Sirius and James headed over to the ministry after breakfast. They had visited there once before, when they went to get licensed for apparition the previous summer, so they knew how to work the phone box that served as the visitor's entrance. After they gave their reason for visiting the ministry, two silver badges popped out with their names and purpose of visit. After they had fixated the badges to their robes, the phone box began to lower into the ground.

"Do you reckon Moody's as terrifying as we've heard?" James asked as the box slowly lowered them further into the ground.

"He probably is," Sirius replied. "But if Adrien survived mentoring under him for a year so I think we can handle the interview with him."

"I hope so," James muttered.

When the box came to a stop and opened up in The Atrium, the boys stepped out and presented their wands to the wizard at the security stand for registration. When he was done, he pointed the boys in the right direction. When they arrived at Auror Headquarters, there was another security stand. The wizard here looked more burly and not as welcoming, a necessity outside Auror Headquarters as they did not allow just anyone inside. The wizard checked their badges against the list he had of those coming in for interviews before waving them through.

They made their way down the hallway to where chairs had been set up for those waiting to be interviewed. A few were already occupied. A blonde boy that had been in their year in Ravenclaw, a man who appeared a few years older than them who was likely looking for an occupation change, and a girl around their age whose unruly black hair was pulled back into two braids. She gave them a scrutinizing glance as they sat down but then she sharply looked away. Sirius and James exchanged glances. She would be a delight to work with, it seemed.

The man older than them was called back first, and then eventually the blonde boy, and then the girl. No one came after James and Sirius and they figured they were the last interviews until breaking for lunch. Or perhaps more interviews had been conducted on other days.

When Sirius's name was called, he swallowed, glanced at James, and then moved to the room he was directed to. Those called had been alternating between rooms. He was not sure why, but he entered the room that was indicated without question. It was small, and he wondered if maybe this room was usually used to interrogate criminals. That did not help set his nerves at ease. Strangely, the room was empty. He moved to sit at one of the chairs at the small table that was present, glancing around at the bare, grey walls. Fisting his hands together, he rested them upon the table and waited, staring pensively at the wall and planning possible things to say.

Just when he began to think that perhaps he had been forgotten, the door suddenly opened and Alastor Moody strode into the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Do you know how we tell whether or not someone is a good candidate for the Aurors just through an interview?" the Head Auror growled as he sat himself across from Sirius at the table, slapping a thick stack of papers down on its surface. "We stick them in a room for an interview and let them sit there waiting for a stretch of time and watch what they do." Sirius's stomach twisted. They had been watching him this entire time? "And you," he continued, opening a folder and leaning back in his chair. "Are the first one so far today to not show any type of worry." Sirius's stomach relaxed and he fought the urge to sigh. Surely that was a good thing. "It's important for an Auror to have the ability to stay calm in any sort of situation. Say, for example, there's been an attack and you are helping victims. If you're calm, or at least appear it, those around you are most likely to stay calm as well."

The Head Auror fell silent and studied the young man before him. Sirius shifted under the scrutiny, but did not speak.

"So you passed that test with flying colors," Moody said gruffly after a long silence. "Now answer this question for me. Why does a _Black_ want to join the Aurors?"

Sirius bristled. "I'm not-"

"-like your family, yes I've heard. But there's got to be some sort of motivation. Something you want. Some join because their family was involved in the Aurors. But that's not your case. And don't tell me it's for revenge, because that's a damn stupid reason and I'll kick you out right now. I can't have someone who's going to let their emotions control them."

"Revenge?" Sirius echoed. "What makes you think it's about revenge?"

"I'm well aware of who you're shagging, boy."

Heat rose in Sirius's cheeks, more from anger than embarrassment. "I'm _not_-"

"Maybe not yet," Moody interrupted. "But either way, revenge is a perfectly legitimate worry, so I'll ask again. Why do you want to join the Aurors?"

"It's not revenge," Sirius told him firmly. "I'm tired of seeing innocent people suffer. I want to help bring a stop to that."

The older man regarded him for a long moment. Eventually he said, "You are aware that you'll see a lot more suffering before this is over?"

Sirius's jaw clenched at the thought, but he had known this, so he nodded.

"And your family. You'll be expected to treat them as any other Death Eater. Will you be able to do that?"

"I will," Sirius replied immediately. "I've given it a lot of thought and I've put my family behind me."

Alastor Moody regarded him for another long moment before he nodded and stood. "You've got potential, boy," he growled, picking up the folder and waving it around. "Reports say you did well when you learned dueling. Your references are positive. And you passed your exams with flying colors." He stared hard at Sirius before gathering the rest of his papers. "Look for a letter."

The door slammed behind the Head Auror and for a moment, Sirius sat there, wondering whether or not that had gone well. He figured it had to. He stood and made his way out of the room. The chairs out in the hall were empty and he sat down in the one he had been in previously to wait for James to emerge. He figured since he had been taken back first, James would be interviewed after him.

It was a while before the messy haired boy appeared from down the hall, a grin on his face.

"He tells me I'm exactly what they're looking for," James boasted as Sirius stood. "How did you do?"

Sirius shrugged. "He told me to look for a letter."

"A good letter or a bad letter?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Sirius snapped as they made their way out of Auror Headquarters. "He didn't indicate which."

"Well, how did the interview go?" James prodded. "What sort of questions did he ask you? He asked me a lot of questions, mostly wondering what sort of stuff my dad had told me about being an Auror and how I would respond in different situations."

"Really?" Sirius asked, coming to a halt. "He didn't ask me those sort of questions."

James gave him a quizzical look. "Well then what did he ask you?"

"He asked me why I was joining the Aurors. And if I'd be able to treat my family like any other Death Eater. He was quite rude." He decided to leave the comment the Auror had made about his relationship with Samantha to himself. He did not think that would go over well with James.

"That's just his way. He comes off very insolent."

"But he didn't ask me anything like he asked you."

James shrugged. "He probably changes it up for each person. Did he have anything positive to say?"

"When he came in. He told me he liked my ability to stay calm in stressful situations."

James stared at him for a long moment before snorting. "And what in the world made him think you were capable of that? Because no offence mate but when you get mad, you let that lead you."

Sirius shot him a sharp look as the continued through the ministry. "He was watching me before he came in. Not sure how. But he said I was the first one that day to not be restless while I waited."

James frowned. "You had to wait? He saw me right away."

Sirius clenched his jaw. "Perhaps because he already knew you a bit?"

The other boy shrugged. "Perhaps."

But it made Sirius wonder if James was right, that Alastor Moody changed up all of his interviews. Or if he had only done it for Sirius, because of the reputation that came with his last name.

"I hope mum has lunch ready," James said as they headed to the fireplaces where they would floo home. "I'm starving."

Sirius decided to keep his worries to himself.

* * *

He did not have to worry for long. Sirius and James both received letters from the Aurors by Monday afternoon, informing them that they had been accepted to the program. James was ecstatic, even though there had not been any doubt in his mind that he had not gotten in. Sirius was excited as well, though he kept it mostly to himself. They were told they were expected to start training the next Monday, which Sirius was most excited about, because that was the same day Samantha was to start her training at St. Mungo's and it gave them one more week to spend time together before they began working five days a week.

They ended up spending most of their time searching for a place of their own to live. They'd broken the news to Joseph and Grace that they planned to move out, and though they were going to be sad to see them go, Grace was content with their promise to come by for dinner whenever they could. The first couple of days they spent searching the muggle paper that Lily brought them to see what was available. They'd decided they would like to live in London. There, they would be close to work and they would be in an area where they could go out and walk.

Towards the end of their week, they spent a couple of days walking through London and looking at certain places that had caught their eye. They were quite indecisive about what they were looking for when reading about the places, but when they started touring places, they realized more of what they wanted. They wanted two bedrooms, each with their own bathroom, just in case someone needed to stay over. A kitchen big enough to work in. And Samantha decided that she preferred a higher ceiling so she did not feel closed in.

James and Lily accompanied them on their search. Lily offered to come since she knew more about dealing with muggles and could help them convert money so they had a better idea at what they would be paying. James tagged along just because he could, though he was less than helpful, finding something snide to say about every place they looked at just for his amusement.

The first few flats they looked at were a bit small and unimpressive. Some were a lot older than they were looking for. If they were to be honest, they would prefer something new. They looked at a few townhouses, but Sirius acted aloof and unimpressed in all of them and when they had returned home for the day, unsuccessful, James told Samantha it was likely because they reminded him of his childhood home too much. She decided that they should stay with looking at flats.

The next day proved to be more successful. Since they were not being too picky about where they lived, they found a flat that they could both see themselves in by the end of the day. It was located in Western London, but very close to Central London. When you stepped through the door, you were in an open room that would be the sitting room, the dining area, and the kitchen. They had both grown up in large houses with closed off rooms, and the openness was new to them, but they found they liked it a lot. A short hallway began at the other side of the room and on the left was a bathroom and then a guest bedroom. On the right was the master bedroom, a large room that also had its own bathroom. A large window was at the end of the hallway, allowing a lot of light into the flat. Both bedrooms also had windows.

Sirius could tell by the look on Samantha's face as they walked through the flat that this was where they would end up moving. He could see the two of them living together here, and he suddenly realized how much he had wanted this to happen. The flat was to buy, not rent, which was not a problem for them, and by the end of the day, they had put an offer in for it. They were told that they would most likely get it, but that the flat would not be able to be moved in to for another month. That was not a problem for them. They had a place to stay until they were ready.

Sunday was the last day of freedom they had before they began work. They spent the morning lying about the house, enjoying one last day in which they could be lazy. After lunch, they headed to the large meadow behind the Potter home to enjoy the beautiful day. Sirius and James started up a game of quidditch and Samantha settled herself at the base of a tree with a book, smiling occasionally at the shouts that came from above her.

After a while, she heard footsteps approaching her in the grass and glanced up to find Sirius, sweaty and breathing hard, approaching her.

"I told him I needed to take a break," he grunted as he seated himself beside her. "He's like a child. He never gets tired."

She laughed and glanced up where James was still flying around on his broom. "He loves flying," she said. "He was obsessed with it even when he was too young to actually do it."

Sirius sighed. "It's too bad we're in a war. He would have been perfect for professional quidditch."

"He would have," she agreed. "But he wants to be an Auror."

"And so he will be. Hopefully. Not sure what Moody saw in him, but it must have been something."

"He can be quite focused when he wants to be," she replied. "He'll be fine."

Sirius nodded and leaned back against the trunk of the tree, closing his eyes. "Too bad a place like this doesn't come with our flat."

"It would have been nice," she agreed. "But I don't think it quite works that way."

He cracked one eye opened to peer at her. "Are you sure you'll be alright with living in the city? We could always move out into the country. We don't have to be so close to work. We'd apparate either way."

She shook her head and smiled. "I'm sure. I ought to try city living at one point in my life, shouldn't I?"

"Mm hm," Sirius murmured in agreement, his eye once again closed. The sun was out that day and it was warm on their skin, making him sleepy.

She noticed James landing his broom, throwing it over his shoulder as he began to head their way. He'd probably gotten bored flying alone and was coming to beg Sirius to join him again.

"Have you told your brother yet?" Sirius asked suddenly, drawing her attention back to him. He was watching her through half-lidded eyes.

She shook her head. "I thought I'd tell him when he came over here one day and found us gone."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I don't think that would go over well. And we don't need to give him any more reason to hate me."

"He doesn't hate you," she insisted.

"Well, he doesn't like me. He acts nice enough but I can see it in his eyes. He hated me after we broke up. Don't deny it. You know he did. But I guess he got used to me watching out for you. He didn't even say anything when we started dating again." He gave her a pointed look. "Don't expect him to keep his mouth shut when he finds out we're moving together."

"Oi," James shouted as he drew closer. "Are you going to get off your arse or are you just going to lie there the rest of the day?"

"I'll talk to him," she promised, ignoring James. "As soon as I get a chance."

Sirius nodded just as James finally reached them. His hair was more messed up than usual from the wind and he frowned deeply as he kicked Sirius's foot. "How 'bout another match, Padfoot?"

Sirius shrugged and squinted up at him. "I'm comfortable down here," he replied.

James grumbled something under his breath before turning his attention to Samantha. "What about you?"

She gave him a startled look. "What sort of question is that, James? " she asked incredulously. "Absolutely not."

"What do you think, Padfoot?" James asked, turning to look at Sirius. "Don't you think she ought to join?"

Sirius stared at James for a long moment before a grin slowly spread across his face. When he turned to Samantha, her face dropped and her eyes widened.

"Don't you dare," she warned sharply.

She watched him carefully and when Sirius began to move to stand, she began to scramble to her feet, her book forgotten in the grass. He was faster than her, however, and had known she would try to run, and before she could move away, his arm was firmly around her waist.

"Where are you going so fast?" he asked her teasingly.

She glared at him as she tried to break away from his grip. But he was strong and she did not even come close to freeing herself. Sirius began to lead her out into the meadow and James, grinning widely, followed behind.

"Come on, Sam, it's not that bad," he said, causing her to throw a glare at him over her shoulder. "It's just a harmless broomstick."

"It'll be fun," Sirius told her, looking down at her and giving her an easy-going smile.

"I'll never forgive you."

Sirius stopped and dropped his arm from around her. She immediately took a step back.

"You should give it a go," he told her. "When was the last time you were on a broom? Perhaps you'd like it now."

James passed Sirius his broom and Samantha eyed it warily. Sirius swung his leg over it before holding his hand out to her.

"Come on."

She glared at the outstretched hand and did not move. James quickly grew impatient and lifted her up, carrying her to Sirius, ignoring the protests she shouted in his ear. He put her behind Sirius on the broomstick and told her to hang on before stepping back. Sirius kicked off from the ground before she could jump off, and she gasped, wrapping her arms around him tightly, pressing her face into his shoulder. As the broom climbed quickly into the sky, her stomach seemed to plummet, and the sensation took her breath away.

Finally, Sirius leveled the broomstick out and slowed down. He glanced back at her and grinned. "Open your eyes," he told her. Her arms were still tight around him, so much so that he was finding it a bit difficult to breath. He would have never thought she would have such strength.

She shook her head at his command, but a moment later, he felt her head turn slightly so that she could look. It only lasted a few seconds before her face was pressed back into his shoulder. He flew around only a minute more before he landed, descending much slower than he had climbed into the air. As soon as her feet were back on solid ground, she released him and retreated several steps back, the glare back, but her face was white. He felt a pang of guilt and shoved his broom at James roughly before stepping towards her.

"I'm sorry," he told her softly when he reached her. "I didn't think it would scare you so much."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. Samantha shook her head and glared up at him. "You're mean," she told him, causing him to chuckle.

"I know. I'm sorry. But it won't happen again. I promise."

"It better not," she replied. "And don't' think I won't retaliate."

Surprise filled his eyes, followed by amusement. "Really?" he asked her with a grin. "And just what are you going to do to two Marauders?"

"I'm sure I'll figure something out. I've learned from the best after all."

That was true, but he could not bring himself to worry. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before giving releasing her to go play another round of quidditch with James.

They began training the next day. None of them were sure what to expect from the respective training they were attending, but they were more excited than nervous because they felt as if they were finally starting their lives. But nothing had prepared James and Sirius for how hard they would be worked, even on the first day, and they were sweating and sore when they returned home to the Potters' just in time for dinner. James was even sporting a bloody nose and Sirius looked as if his eye was beginning to blacken. Samantha had already returned and James grumbled when he saw that she did not look exhausted in the least. Most of her training early on was in a classroom setting while the Aurors believed the quickest way to learn was to throw them into different scenarios. But they had to admit that it worked. In one day of training they had already picked up on some ways to improve their dueling.

Later that night, Sirius lay on Samantha's bed, looking through the stack of papers she had brought home to study while she rubbed his stiff shoulders.

"I can't believe you've got to study all this. You've just finished your N.E.W.T.s."

She shrugged. "I've got to learn the information and the spells. It's the only way. But it will be worth it."

Sirius snorted. "I'm just glad I don't have to study that amount of information."

She smiled and shook her head. "No. You only come home so exhausted and sore you can't move."

"True," he agreed. "But it'll get easier."

But it didn't. At least not right away. Each day that week was harder to get through than the last because they were thrown back into training before being able to recover. By the end of the week, they were exhausted and just looking forward to the weekend so they could rest. On Friday, Samantha rose early and went into the bathroom, charming the shampoo the two boys used, keeping true to the threat she had made Sirius. It was a fairly easy charm. At about lunch time, they would notice their hair beginning to take on a shade of blue and by the time they returned home, it would be a bright azure. It would take several washings to get the color out.

She was home before they were, and she was in her room studying when she heard the front door slam open. She heard Grace tell them dinner would be ready soon before loudly exclaiming when she caught sight of them. She grinned to herself when she heard their footsteps pounding up the stairs and moments later, her door was slamming open. James was seething, but Sirius looked surprisingly calm. It was hard for herself to not burst out into laughter when she finally saw the results of her charm. James glared at her for a long moment before spinning on his heel and cursing, slammed the door of the bathroom. He would soon find out that washing his hair would not solve his problem, at least not right away.

"I underestimated you," Sirius told her, moving into the room and seating himself beside her in the bed.

She snorted and shook her head. "You look ridiculous."

He nodded in agreement. "And now that you've thoroughly embarrassed me and ruined my hair," he frowned and ran his fingers through his once dark locks, "You can fix it."

"I'm afraid not," she told him, turning her attention back to her papers. "You've got to live with it until it's washed out."

His frown deepened. "And how long will that take?"

She shrugged. "Dunno. I suppose we'll find out."

Sirius sighed dramatically and fell back onto her pillows, his fingers moving to fiddle with the tips of her hair. "It would be a shame if your hair were to turn colors one day."

"If you mess with my hair, I'll make you go bald," she told him in a sweet voice. His fingers released her hair and his mouth snapped closed and he decided it would be best to just wait out the color than to try to convince her to fix it.

By the time the weekend was over, Sirius and James were rested and the blue in their hair had faded to just an occasional streak. They'd both washed their hair continuously over their two days so they would not have to return to work with the bright blue hair.

A couple of weeks passed and they began to grow more accustomed to their schedule. Samantha fell into a pattern of returning from work and resting until after dinner and then she would study for a couple hours. Nearly every day, she brought home more information she had to know. Sirius joined her most nights, lying on her bed and reading or helping her study or even talking to her and distracting her. Sometimes they talking about what sort of furniture they wanted to purchase for their flat. Sirius and James began to return from training a little less tired, their bodies adjusting to what they were put through every day. Every now and then, they were kept late, well after dinner, to make up for the fact that the training time had been cut in half in desperation for more Aurors.

On one such night, Samantha was in her room by herself. She was reading over her notes halfheartedly. It was the end of the week and she was a bit tired. But she told herself if she learned the information that night, she could have the rest of the weekend off of studying. She was just flipping to the last page when a knock sounded on her door.

"Come in," she called, thinking it would be Sirius having just returned from training. It was nearing the time he would likely return home anyway.

She glanced up when the door opened and she was surprised to find her brother instead.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned, setting her papers aside.

He shrugged as he sat down on the edge of her bed. "I have a question for you."

Her brow furrowed. "Alright," she said slowly, wondering what sort of question he had to come all the way over to the Potters' to ask.

"I was just wondering," he said, glancing around the room before his gaze rested upon her, "When you were planning on telling me that you and Sirius had bought a flat together."

"Oh."

She'd promised Sirius that she'd talk to her brother as soon as she got the chance. And she'd had every intention of keeping that promise. But ever since she'd begun being trained at St. Mungo's, she had not really had the time and figured that she would before they moved. But now that she thought about it, they were moving in two weeks, and she still had not talked to her brother.

"I really was going to tell you," she told him. "I've just been a bit busy."

He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. "Are you sure this is the right choice? Maybe you ought to give it more time before you make such a big step."

Samantha shook her head as she gathered up the papers she had been studying, standing to place them on the desk that stood against the far wall. "This is why I wasn't going to tell you."

His eyebrows rose. "So you weren't going to tell me?"

"No," she snapped, turning to face him. "Yes…I don't know." She crossed her arms across her chest and leaned against the desk. "Admittedly, the only reason I'd planned to for sure was because I promised Sirius. He seems to be under the impression that you hate him." Adrien did not respond, only stared at her, and after a long moment, her eyes narrowed. "But you don't hate him, do you?" she asked, the tone of her voice daring him to say he did.

"I don't hate him," Adrien admitted. "But I don't trust him."

She stared at him for a moment before saying softly, "He's the reason I made it through the winter."

Her brother sighed again. "I know. And I'll always be grateful to him. But I still don't trust him. And I don't understand why you're jumping into this. You've only been back with him for a few months. The Potters would have you for as long as you wanted to stay. You don't have to leave, you know."

She shook her head and glanced around her room. There were pictures on her desk, her dresser, and bedside table, her old school books in a pile on her desk, and her trunk at the foot of her bed. But still the room did not feel like hers, and she knew it never would. "It's not home, Adrien. All it is is a reminder. And there's no way I'll be able to move on until I put it behind me. Surely you can understand that."

For a long moment he was silent as he stared at her, his lips turned down in a frown. Of course he could understand that. "I do," he told her as he stood from the bed.

Her face crumpled as he approached her. "I miss them," she whispered just as he drew her into his arms.

"So do I," he said softly. "So do I. And if getting a flat with Sirius will make you happy, then I'm not going to try and stop you.

She pulled away slightly and smiled up at him. "Thank you."

He returned her smile and pulled her closer, deciding that if Sirius Black made her happy, then he too would be happy.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	36. Chapter Thirty Six

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**I'm soooo sorry this took so long. I hit this huge slump and just couldn't make myself write. But it looks like I finally worked past it. I hit them every now and then and this one was just longer than usual. My plan is to try to go back to my every other Sunday updates, though it may take some time for me to get it back to that. My goal is to skip this coming Sunday and have an update up the next Sunday and hopefully keep the updates regular from there.**

* * *

****Fate

Chapter Thirty Six

The morning of the day Sirius and Samantha planned to move their things to their new flat, the letters arrived. Samantha had planned to go back to sleep when she rolled over in her bed. But when she cracked her eyes open and found a letter resting on her pillow, she pushed herself up instead and picked the letter up curiously. It was addressed to her, but there was no sender. She ripped it open and unfolded the parchment, her eyes skimming the page. She had just finished reading it when her door opened and James burst in, a letter of his own clutched in his hand. His face fell when he saw she had one as well. He sighed and shut the door before dropping beside her on the bed.

Samantha gave him a small smile. "You knew it was coming. Don't act so dejected."

He turned to look at her. "I don't suppose you plan to say no, do you?"

She sighed heavily and glanced down at the letter, folding up the parchment. "I want to do something to help, James. I can't just sit by and wait for it all to end. You feel the same way. And it's worth the risk, isn't it?"

"I do," he said quietly. "And it is. I suppose as long as you know what you're getting into."

"I'm well aware what I'm getting into," she replied, her voice suddenly frosty.

He swallowed and shook his head. "I didn't mean it like- I just want you to make sure it's what you want."

She looked at the letter in her hands, clutching it tightly. It was a letter she'd hoped that she would receive, a formal invitation to join to Order. She figured it was worded the same as James. It explained the purpose, the goals they strived for. How dangerous it could be. And if she wanted to accept, to come to a given coordinate on the coming Friday afternoon. It was Saturday morning now. It would give her nearly a week to decide. But she did not need that sort of time to know what she wanted to do. And she could see that James felt the same.

"Sirius got one as well," he told her, settling back against her pillows. "But he was still asleep. Didn't want to wake him."

She shot him a surprised look. "Really?"

He nodded. "I think Moody was impressed by him, at least from what I've heard about the interview. Sirius is convinced he hates him. Mood doesn't train us, but he comes by a lot and he yells at Sirius most of the time. But I think it's because he sees the potential. I'm not surprised the Order has seen it as well. Hell, it was probably Moody who suggested it."

When Sirius wandered in a bit later, rubbing his eyes and clutching the opened letter in his hand, James and Samantha were still talking. He joined them, but once James's parents were up, they didn't feel comfortable talking about it. Sirius was the one to suggest they use his and Samantha's flat to talk more that night. They had bought furniture, but it would not be delivered until the next day, but they could camp out on the floor. James, of course, grew ecstatic at the idea and, when throughout the day they learned that Lily, Remus, and Peter had received the same letter, it turned into their first gathering since leaving Hogwarts.

Later that night, they were seated on the bare floor of what would be the sitting room once they had furniture. Adrien would be coming by the next morning to put up protective charms, but Sirius and James did the best they could putting up crude charms for the night just to be safe. Lily brought pizza that she'd picked up from a restaurant a couple of blocks down the road. Luckily she'd thought to get several boxes, because the Marauders tore into the pizza eagerly and had quickly devoured an entire box.

From where she was sitting beside James, Lily shook her head. "Boys," she muttered at Samantha, who laughed.

"If you'd been living with James and Sirius for a month like I've had to, you wouldn't be as surprised," she told her.

Neither boy seemed to take note of their conversation. Through a mouthful of food, James asked, "How's working at your father's shop, Pete?"

Peter shrugged, and had the decency to swallow before he replied. "I can't complain. I've helped him every summer so I already knew what to do. It can get boring at times but we can get some pretty interesting customers."

"It's true," Remus piped up. He's contribution to dinner was a hefty stack of sweets from his supply, but with the way he was working through them, they would not last long. "I was visiting yesterday. Some witch came in, holding an entire conversation with herself. She eventually just wandered out; doubt she even knew where she was."

"Sounds like a charm gone wrong," Lily said.

"Or she was just some crazy old bat," Sirius told her with a grin. "My uncle used to tell me that at a certain age, witches just completely lose their minds. I reckon that's why he never got married."

Samantha rolled her eyes. "Maybe it's because he thought that that he never married," she retorted.

"I'll let you know in fifty years it it's true or not," James piped up, earning a sharp jab in the stomach from Lily's elbow. "Not you, Lily my love," he said quickly. "You'll always be perfect. I was talking about Sam."

"Hey," Samantha cried indignantly and Sirius let out a loud, barking laugh. At his laugh, Mica, who had been curled up in Samantha's lap asleep, let out a loud yowl, causing him to fall silent and glare. Everyone burst out laughing at the look on Sirius's face, which just caused his scowl to deepen.

Their lightheartedness faded with their laughter, and it seemed that they all remembered why they were all gathered together at the same time.

"What should we do?" Remus asked quietly, breaking the silence that had fallen around them.

James shrugged and glanced at Sirius and Samantha before replying, "Well, the three of us have already decided we want to be a part of it. But it's big decision, something you can only make on your own."

A long silence stretched between them. Sirius had been just as surprised as Samantha had been to receive an invitation to the Order. He'd never given joining it much thought. He'd heard Samantha and James speak of it plenty, but he had no inner ties like they did and had no expectations to be noticed. But when he'd read the invitation, he'd known right away that he wanted to accept. He' d told Moody in his interview that he wanted to be a part of bringing a stop to the war, that he was tired of seeing innocent people suffer. And the Order would allow him to help further. He would never turn down such an opportunity.

Lily reached out and covered James's hand with hers, squeezing it gently. James turned to meet her gaze, and he could see her answer in her eyes before she spoke. He'd hoped that she would decide to stay out of the war, to keep herself out of danger. But he knew her well enough that her decision was not a surprise. He would support her no matter what she decided.

"It would be silly, wouldn't it?" she asked him quietly, her emerald eyes holding his gaze. "To receive such an invitation and turn it down. Not that I would want to. Being part of the inner workings of bringing an end to this war. It's something I could have only imagined before, but now I've got this chance to be a part of it, to save innocent people. I don't know why they think I can contribute, but I'd very much like to try."

"I felt the same way," Remus spoke up, causing James to turn his head in surprise. He'd nearly expected quiet Remus to decide to decline, but the glint that was in his eyes reminded him of how much of a fighter the other boy could be, and he realized that he should have been certain that he would want to participate. "I'm not quite sure what Dumbledore's playing at, inviting a werewolf to join the Order, but I figure there's only one way to find out."

The tension seemed to break from the room then, and they began speculating what the meetings would be like, where they would be held, how many were involved. Peter swallowed hard as he listened. They seemed to have forgotten to ask him. He did not want to join, not really. He had nothing to contribute, not even courage. The thought of facing a Death Eater terrified him. The time James and Sirius had returned to school with the story of how they'd been attacked by Death Eaters in the Dawson home had been enough to give him nightmares for a week. He supposed they just assumed he'd want a part of it. Lily, a muggle-born, had agreed. And Remus was volunteering to help protect those who would likely scorn him if they knew what he was. So why should he, a young man born of a witch and a wizard, not want to participate? The very thought of doing so filled him with dread, a tingling he felt even at the tips of his fingers and toes. He did not want this. Not one bit.

He saw James's eyes slid over him, and then they were back, and Peter realized that he'd noticed their mistake.

"Pete," James called, interrupting the flow of conversation. "You're in too, right?"

No, Peter thought wildly. No, I have no want to risk my life to save someone I don't even know. But they were all looking at him now, so he did just as they expected.

"Yeah." He cleared his throat when his voice came out too soft. "Yeah. Of course I am."

Later that night, when they'd all fallen asleep, Peter stood and made his way to the bathroom, mindful of the bodies spread across the floor. Remus was curled up in a corner, buried under a pile of blankets. Lily was using James's arm as a pillow, just as Sirius was using Samantha's shoulder. He stepped around them carefully, lightly. When he made it to the bathroom, he flicked on the light and locked the door and took in his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were wild with fear, his face white. He concentrated, muttering to himself, urging his face to appear calm. Slowly it did. His skin remained pale, but his eyes were relaxed. If he practiced enough, they would never know how terrified he truly was, how much he did not want a part in this Order of the Phoenix.

* * *

"What's that?"

Lily glanced up as James stepped into his room, rubbing a towel over his hair to dry it. It was the night they were to attend their first Order meeting. Lily had begun working at St. Mungo's as a potion brewer. For now, it was only part time, but they told her that if she did a well enough job, they'd allow her to work full time soon enough. So she had had the afternoon off to worry and grow nervous about the meeting. Luckily, James had invited her over to dinner with his family. Grace and Joseph put her worries at ease, assuring her that the meeting would be nothing to worry about. They may discuss a few things, but it was mostly to allow them to get to know their fellow Order members and explain more about what they do.

After dinner, James and Lily retreated upstairs until it was time for them to leave. James had immediately headed to take a shower after his grueling day of training. She'd settled herself at his desk to wait, slipping a letter she had received just before heading over to the Potters' out of her robes.

Now, James was looking at the parchment in her hands with a curious expression, his glasses knocked slightly askew on his face while he dried his hair.

"A letter," she replied. "From Amber." Understanding crossed over his face. They had not heard from Amber since they'd bade her farewell at King's Cross, so none of them had known how her travels were going, if she was safe. "I wasn't sure if she sent Sam one, too, or if this was meant for both of us, so I thought I'd best bring it with me. Plus I hadn't had a chance to read it yet."

"How is she?" James questioned as he ducked his head into his closet to try and find a shirt to wear.

"She says she's having a great time, apologizes for taking so long to write. She's in Italy right now, on the southern shore. Apparently she's been spending a lot of time with some local bloke."

"Not a surprise," he replied, slipping on a shirt and buttoning it up. He turned to look at her and could see the relief on her face. "You were really worried about her, weren't you?"

Lily sighed and nodded. "We hadn't heard from her in nearly two months. I didn't know what to expect. I know the war has only been confined to the country, but that doesn't mean there aren't others who have gotten ideas. "

James shook his head. "She's safer out of the country than in it. "

Lily gave him a small smile. "Well, let's hope she stays away for a while then."

A few minutes later, it was time for them to leave. James's parents had already left, and the house was silent when they made their way down the stairs. James decided that he should apparate the both of them since they had only been given coordinates to go by. If something went wrong, they would end up in the wrong place together and not separated.

They reappeared on a dark, dusty road. They began to make their way down it, careful to not trip in the occasional dip in the road, their fingers twined together. They did not have to walk long before they saw the waiting silhouettes of their friends. By the looks of it, they were the last ones there.

"Are we late?" James asked when he and Lily reached them. He glanced around them. They were in the middle of the countryside and though there were a few lights from a village in the distance, there didn't seem to be anything nearby that could serve as a meeting place for the Order.

Sirius shook his head as he glanced around them as well. "Dumbledore hasn't come yet. There doesn't look like there's anything here, but we must be at the right place since we're all here."

They stood there for several minutes, speculating what would possibly happen in the meeting that night, when Dumbledore finally appeared, making his way towards them from the dark.

"I am glad that all of you could make it," he said when he reached them, a smile on his face, his blue eyes twinkling. "The six of you will be a fine addition to the Order of the Phoenix."

"But Professor," Remus spoke up hesitantly, glancing around them. "Where…?"

"My dear boy, call me Albus. We are colleagues now, after all. And to answer your question." The older wizard turned and gestured towards the field beside them. Besides a couple of large trees, the field seemed to be empty. "We hold our meetings in several different places so we are not in the same place every time. Each place is guarded by a Fidelius Charm. I am the Secret-Keeper of this particular location. There are two other locations we are currently using, but this one we have deemed the safest. So shall we?"

After making sure that they were alone, that no one was around to overhear, Dumbledore whispered to them the location of where they were meeting. Before their eyes, an old brick farmhouse appeared in the field, nestled beneath the large trees. The house looked right there, like they should have known it was there all along.

They followed Dumbledore to the house. The windows were filled with warm lights from outside, and Sirius found it hard to believe that inside, a meeting about how to defeat Voldemort would take place. Instead, he thought it looked as if a family would just be sitting down to dinner or talking in the sitting room.

A soft hum of voices filled their ears when Dumbledore opened the door. James and Lily stepped inside behind Dumbledore. As Sirius followed, he felt Samantha's hand slip inside his own. He gave it a reassuring squeeze; they were all a bit nervous about the meeting. Remus and Peter stepped inside last, the werewolf making sure the door closed firmly behind him.

As they followed Dumbledore down a hallway, the voices grew louder and then they were stepping into a large back room. The voices fell quiet when they stepped inside. Sirius glanced around the room. There were sixteen witches and wizards gathered there not including his friends and Dumbledore. He recognized a few faces, most from the Christmas party the Potters had thrown. But Frank and Alice Longbottom had been only two years ahead of them at Hogwarts. And he knew Adrien of course. There was another witch he recognized from Hogwarts as well, but her name would not come to mind. His boss, Mad Eye, was there, too. He did not seem to be paying them much attention, but Sirius could swear that magical eye of his had swiveled his way. Grace and Joseph both gave him an encouraging smile. He suddenly felt uncomfortable with them all staring, and he tightened his hand around Samantha's in case she got any ideas of letting him go.

Dumbledore began by introducing them. He felt that some of the introductions, like James's and Samantha's, were a bit unnecessary. And when he was introduced, he was sure some eyes widened at his last name. It was common knowledge that he'd left his family behind him, but it was probably surprising to see just how interested he was in bringing an end to the war. He wondered how they would react if they knew the boy directly to his right was a werewolf.

After they had been introduced, the Order members introduced themselves. Most had kind voices and welcoming smiles. The witch Sirius had recognized introduced herself as Marlene McKinnon, and he remembered that she had been in Ravenclaw and only a year ahead of them. There was also a wizard by the name of Benjy Fenwick, another name Sirius recognized. He was a healer at St. Mungo's, and Samantha had spoken of him before. He had been a friend of her father's, and she hoped that maybe when the time came, he would choose to mentor her. There were two brothers by the name of Prewitt, who had red hair and kind brown eyes. The eldest one, Gideon, had his hair cut shorter than Fabian, his younger brother. He recognized the younger one from the Christmas party.

After all of the introductions, Dumbledore went on to explain that not every Order member attended every meeting, that they had several more involved. He then explained what the Order was about. Some members worked close with suspected Death Eaters at the ministry, and they would report anything suspicious that they may hear. Moody reported any tips he received at Auror Headquarters, and if they deemed them to be believable, they would choose how to act. Right now their biggest mystery was what locations they could be using as meeting places, but if they took the same precautions the Order took, then it would be very difficult to pinpoint their location. Dumbledore also warned that they may directly confront the Death Eaters at a point in time, but only volunteers would go. He stressed that no one would be pushed into doing anything they were uncomfortable with.

Since the meeting had been schedule just to introduce the new members, once Dumbledore was done explaining the Order's missions, he told them that they were done and invited them to get to know each other. James's parents came over to say hello before they headed home; it was late and they were tired. After a while, the group had spread through the room. Samantha and Lily were across the room speaking with Alice and Marlene. Sirius stood talking with James, Frank, Adrien, and Peter. Peter had been nervous and quiet most of the night, but now that the attention was off of the newcomers, he seemed to be relaxing a bit. Remus stood with Benjy Fenwick, their heads bowed together and their voices quiet. Sirius wondered, since Benjy was a healer, if he knew of Remus's condition. After he'd been attacked when he was young, his parents took him to St. Mungo's. He'd gone there several times after particularly nasty full moons. Some of the healers were bound to know what he was.

After a while, Remus's conversation ended with Benjy and he joined them. A while later, Adrien declared he was going home and not long after, Frank went to get Alice so they could also go home. James moved to stand beside Sirius and jabbed him in the side with his elbow.

"Are you about ready to go home?" he asked, suppressing a yawn.

Sirius nodded, running a hand through his hair. "I suppose we should. Sam and I have a lot of unpacking to do this weekend. We hardly had any time this week."

He turned and glanced across the room to find his girlfriend, and when his eyes landed on her, his face dropped into a scowl. James furrowed his brow and followed Sirius's gaze, and then he laughed. Samantha was speaking with Fabian. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and an easygoing smile on his face. She was grinning as she replied to something he had just said.

"You don't do jealousy well, Padfoot," James told him with a grin.

"I'm not jealous," Sirius snapped in response, shooting James a dark look.

James clearly did not believe him, and after shooting him one final look, Sirius made his way across the room towards Samantha. When he reached them, she was just telling Fabian about her training at St. Mungo's, and he slipped his arm around her waist. She cut herself off and turned to look at him, giving him a smile.

"Sirius, this is Fabian. We met at the Christmas party."

He was well aware, but he gave the other man a smile and reached out to shake his hand.

"Nice to meet you."

Fabian nodded. "You as well. It'll be nice, having a Black on our side for once."

Sirius had to grin at that and agree. He then looked at Samantha.

"James wanted to know if we were ready to go."

She nodded. "I suppose so." She turned back to Fabian. "I'll see you soon."

He nodded and bid them goodbye before Sirius led her back across the room. Lily had made her way back to James.

"Where's Remus and Peter?" Sirius asked when he and Samantha reached them, noticing their absence.

"They went on and left," James replied. "Remus has got to open up in the morning."

Sirius nodded in understanding as they made their way down the hall to the door. Remus had found a job at a bookshop in London. He was enjoying the work enough but he was not sure how long they would put up with how often he was sick until they let him go.

They did not notice how warm the house had grown with so many people inside until they stepped out into the cool night air. They had not brought cloaks and Samantha huddled against Sirius's side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

"Do you not like Fabian?" she asked him as they trailed behind James and Lily. Sirius could swear he saw James's head perk up the slightest bit as if he were listening.

He shrugged. "I don't really know him, do I? Why do you ask?"

She did not reply, only gave him a knowing look, which he found infuriating. He changed the subject to the unpacking they planned to do the next day, and her smile grew as she went along with the subject change. James shot him a look over his shoulder which he pointedly ignored. Overall, he'd enjoyed the night, he decided as he and Samantha told James and Lily goodbye before disapperating. He looked forward to working with the Order.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	37. Chapter Thirty Seven

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**It is just after midnight but it's close enough to Sunday. I finished the last scene about an hour ago and wanted this up before I went to bed so I proofread quickly. I'm sure I missed some errors but hopefully I caught all the major ones. I've been writing a lot more lately so look for updates to continue every other Sunday as long as I can keep it up. I forgot to mention this last time but if something other than computer issues is keeping me from updating on time and it will be more than a day or two late, I will most likely post a note on my profile with the heads up. So if I haven't updated feel free to go see if I've made a note. If I haven't, it's likely just because I'm close to being able to update. **

*****I toyed with raising the rating to M because of this chapter but decided that it wasn't descriptive enough to deem raising it. If anyone feels like I should raise it to M, just let me know and I will gladly change it. **

* * *

Fate

Chapter Thirty Seven

Sirius suppressed a smile as he watched Samantha from the doorway of their bedroom. She was hanging some of her rarely worn robes in their closet that had not yet been unpacked.

"You'd best be standing there for a reason," she said without turning around to face him. "And not just slacking off on your unpacking."

He shook his head, leaning against the door frame. "What's the rush? We've got everything important unpacked."

"I want everything in its place," she replied, finally turning to face him. "And I'm tired of living amongst boxes."

He glanced around the bedroom at the various boxes stacked in the corners. They had unpacked most of them throughout the day.

"We still have tomorrow, too, you know," he reminded her, stepping into the room. "And we got most of our stuff unpacked. Why don't we take a break tonight?"

She stared at him for a moment before turning back to the closet to hang another pair of robes. "What sort of a break?"

He shrugged although her back was to him. "Well, I recall promising you that when we left Hogwarts, I would teach you to duel. We haven't really had time to start, but I thought tonight would be a good night."

She turned back to him, surprise in her eyes. "I thought I'd have to bring it up first," she told him, her voice reflecting the look in her eyes. "I had to beg you to agree to it in the first place."

Sighing, he stepped up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I know, but later I decided that I agree with you. Even if I hope you're never put into a position where you need it, I would rather you did know just in case. Especially now that we're a part of the Order. So are you still interested?"

Her lips split into a smile and she nodded. "Of course I am." She stood up on her toes and pressed her lips against his.

He pulled her against him in response. "Or," he mumbled against her lips. "We could just stay like this all night."

She laughed softly and allowed him to kiss her a moment longer before she pulled away. "I believe I was promised a dueling lesson."

He sighed loudly as he slid his hands to her hips. "Fine, fine."

He grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her from the room. She allowed him to pull her along, a grin on her face. A few minutes later, they had the furniture in the sitting room pushed against the wall, the kitchen table moved against the counters. Sirius quickly put up a silencing charm. He doubted it would end well if their muggle neighbors overheard.

Since the space they were using was limited, and they didn't exactly want to damage their flat, Sirius decided to alter how he and James had been taught in training a bit. He wanted to focus on simpler things that could make a big difference in a life or death situation.

"When we were taught to duel our fifth year," he told her as his hands guided her into a stance that would be a good starting point, "The focus was more on being able to cast effective spells quickly and less on movement. But when you're dueling with an opponent who's trying to kill you, you also need to be moving. Not necessarily constantly, but you have to be ready to dodge anything you aren't quick enough to block."

He spent time showing her the best way to move out of the way of a spell as quickly as possible. He walked her through it without any spells being cast first, showing her the best way to move depending on how the spell was coming towards her. In training, they had also learned to anticipate their opponent's moves at the same time, but he did not want to try to teach her too much at the same time.

After a while, he declared her ready to try dodging a real spell. He instructed her to concentrate on either blocking or dodging the spell and not to worry about sending anything back yet. That would be a different lesson entirely.

To amuse himself, he chose to send only one spell at her, a tickling charm. She was able to evade it for a while, but he grew increasingly faster and eventually she slipped up. After she had stopped twitching, she threw a glare at him and he grinned back in return.

He hit her with the charm several more times, but at the end, whether it was from determination or just because she was a fast learner when she put her mind to something, he was not able to get to her anymore.

"Alright, alright," he finally relented after his arm was growing tired. He backed up to where the sofa rested against the wall and lowered himself onto it with a groan. "I give up."

She grinned at him and moved to join him. She collapsed beside him on the couch and leaned her head back against the wall, breathless.

"That was a dirty trick," she grumbled, narrowing her eyes at him. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to catch her breath. He was sure some of that was a result of the charm and not just her dodging.

He smirked and shook his head. "Sometimes I think you forget that you're dating a Marauder."

With a sigh, she leaned against him, shifting her head so that it rested against his shoulder. "And I think that you sometimes forget that I am perfectly capable of retaliating."

She felt him stiffen against her for a moment before his hand slipped around her waist and came to rest at her hip. "And if you turn my hair blue again, you'll have to deal with much worse. But feel free to do it to James whenever you please."

"You're always shoving your friends out for humiliation."

He shook his head, his eyes rolling. "Marauder."

Silence fell between them then for several minutes. Sirius's hand moved up to her arm, his fingers brushing lightly against her skin, causing her to shiver. She tilted her head up to look up at him and he leaned down to press his lips to hers. She turned towards him, resting her hand on the back of his head, her fingers tangling in his hair.

The moment was ruined when Sirius stomach growled loudly. She could not help herself; a laugh bubbled from her chest. A moment later, Sirius joined in, and then they were laughing against each other.

When their laughter had quieted, Sirius sighed. "I suppose I should go start dinner."

But he made no move to get up. Samantha smiled and squeezed his hand.

"Why don't we go pick something up?" she suggested. "We've been stuck inside all day packing. It'll be nice to get out of the flat, even for a few minutes."

"Still involves moving. I like it right here," Sirius murmured. His eyes were now closed, his body relaxed. When his stomach growled again, he groaned. "Alright, alright. I'm getting up."

He stood, making it look as if it took more effort than it did. He pulled her up behind him.

"What should we get?" he asked her as they made their way out of their building.

She shrugged. "I don't particularly care. You pick."

"I'd eat anything about now," he warned her, glancing around them.

They ended up deciding on a small Chinese take-out not far from their flat. Instead of bothering themselves with moving the table back, they sat back down on the couch to eat. They knew that moments like this would soon become rare between their jobs and work from the Order. While they could, they enjoyed it.

* * *

It was not often that Sirius found time to teach her, but he managed at least one evening a week. Once they attended a regular Order meeting, it seemed to take up most of their free time. Sirius and James volunteered to help with surveillance of certain areas that they suspected a Death Eater meeting place was located. They took shifts along with a few other volunteers and were often out late into the night or rising several hours early so that it would not interfere with work. Marlene came up with an idea for them to construct a complex map to mark all movings of the Death Eaters that they knew of in an attempt to pinpoint any important locations. Samantha volunteered to help with that project and on many nights when they were not meeting with the Order, Samantha and Marlene would get together to work on it.

James and Lily, both wanting to move out of their homes, decided to move in together, much to the surprise of their friends. They knew James would jump at the chance, of course, but they expected Lily to not want to make such a commitment. But it made sense that if they wanted to move out of their homes that they move together. It did not take them long to find a place. They found a small home outside of London that Lily fell in love with and two weeks later, in mid-September, they moved in. James's parents were sad to see him go, but he and Lily promised to come over for dinner at least once a week.

On a Friday night the week after they had moved in, James stepped through the door to the smell of dinner cooking. He was surprised. He'd been at training until seven and then he had gone on surveillance for two hours. Now, it was nearly ten o'clock and he was sure Lily would have eaten without him.

When he stepped into the kitchen, she was at the counter chopping vegetables. He was going to wrap her arms around her and ask her what she was doing cooking so late, but then he noticed how quickly se was chopping. An aura of anger hung over her and he swallowed, wondering what he had done to cause it.

"Lily?" he called hesitantly. When she whirled around, her green eyes burning, he flinched. "You're…you're cooking dinner?"

A smile tugged at her lips though the anger pulled the corners back down and he knew that whatever had her so angry, it was not his doing.

She turned back to her vegetables, pouring them into a pot where he could see a roast cooking. "I was going to cook you dinner for when you got home and we were going to have a nice dinner together. Until I got that bloody phone call."

James glanced at the telephone on the wall. They only had one so that Lily could keep in touch with her family, and besides observing a few phone calls, the muggle object was fairly foreign to him.

"Who…who was the call from?"

She slammed a lid onto the pot. "My parents."

"So you're mad at your parents?"

She pulled another pot out of the cabinet over the stove, slamming it down onto the stove top. "No James," she snapped. "I'm not mad at my parents."

"Ah." For the life of him, he would never understand how a woman's mind worked.

She sighed heavily and turned to face him, placing a hand on her forehead. "I'm sorry. I know that's what it sounded like. But no, it's my sister I'm angry with."

James frowned and stepped closer to her. "What has she done now?"

Lily's face fell, her hand dropping back down to her side. "She's gotten married."

For a moment, James could only stare. He didn't quite understand what Lily meant. "What do you mean she's gotten married?"

"I mean she had a wedding last weekend," Lily exploded. "In which she got married to that boyfriend of hers, Dursley. And mum and dad were ringing to ask what was so important that I missed my sister's wedding. And then I had to explain to them that I had no idea there was going to be a wedding."

He was stunned. He knew that Lily and her sister had grown apart since she had learned she was a witch. He knew how Lily felt about her sister's fiancé – husband, he had to remind himself. But he also knew that though Petunia and Vernon had planned to get married that summer, they had postponed the wedding to an unknown date.

"I thought…they'd postponed it?"

"They did," Lily exploded. "Until I moved out. And then they decided they couldn't wait any longer and planned a small wedding."

He shifted his weight. "You don't think she did that just so you wouldn't come to your wedding, do you?"

"Why else would she have done it? The timing was too perfect."

James shook his head and stepped up to her, placing a hand on her arm. "She's your sister, Lily."

Lily took a shaky breath, running a hand through her hair, and anger draining out of her. "Perhaps she didn't plan it that way. But she didn't invite me either way. Why does she hate me?"

Her voice broke. James slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. Pressing her face into his shoulder, she moved her hand to his back, clutching his robes as if she expected him to float away.

"She doesn't hate you," James told her. "She's your sister. She just doesn't understand and she covers that up with acting hateful. But she can't hate you."

"You've never met her," Lily murmured. "How can you know?"

His arms tightened around her and he placed his chin on the top of her head. "I just do. Deep down, she still loves you. She still cares for you. And I don't think anything can take that away from her."

She nodded against his shoulder, emitting a sigh as if she were releasing all of the frustration she had built up against her sister.

"Maybe you could give her a call sometime," James suggested softly. "Just to ask how she is."

"Maybe," Lily agreed. She was not ready to at the moment, but maybe one day she would be.

"Here," he said, pulling away and leading her to the table. "You sit down. I'll finish dinner."

Lily tried to protest. He'd had such a long day and just by looking at him, she could tell he was exhausted. But James would not listen, assuring her that he could sleep all day the next day if he wanted. So she sat and allowed him to finish cooking their dinner. And as they ate, James managed to bring a smile to her face that only he could conjure.

* * *

Samantha sighed when she heard the key in the lock signaling Sirius's return home. She had just finished placing the steak, roasted potatoes, and green beans she had cooked for dinner on their plates. He had good timing. She heard the door open and close, and then his footsteps. She was pouring wine when his arms wrapped around her waist and his lips brushed across her cheek.

"What's all this?" he asked her.

She turned in his arms, shaking her head at him. "You know what it is," she told him before he pressed his lips against hers. "Happy birthday."

"I'm surprised," Sirius told her several minutes later when they were seated at the table with their plates of food in front of them. "James warned me you weren't much of a cook, but this is really good."

Samantha scowled. "I'm not that bad. This wasn't that hard to cook."

"Mm hm," Sirius agreed though a mouthful of food. He shoveled another forkful into his mouth.

"Slow down," she told him, watching him with an amused expression. "What's the hurry?"

"I've got something I want to show you," he told her through another mouthful of food. "I bought myself a present."

She paused from where she was lifting her fork to her mouth. Setting it down, she looked at him through narrowed eyes. "What sort of a present?" she asked him slowly.

The grin he gave her made her eyes narrow more. She had given him his present that morning: four tickets to the first Puddlemere United quidditch match of the season, which would take place in November. He'd absolutely loved the gift and had promptly informed her that if one of his friends could not make the date, she would be expected to attend. But it had not been the present that he had been hinting at since the end of July when a muggle motorbike had caught his eye. He'd known she was not going to give him one, however, because she had flat out told him several times that she did not intend to buy him such a thing. But the look he was giving her now told her he had done what she should have known he would do.

"You bought a motorbike," she said flatly.

He grinned widely at her and stood from the table. Grabbing hold of her shoulders and pulling her to her feet, he began to pull her towards the door. "Wait until you see it," he told her excitedly. "It's a thing of beauty."

She allowed him to drag her out of the building and away from their dinner. There was no use trying to argue with him when he got like this. She saw the bike before he pointed it out to her, parked against the curb in front of their building. It was large and black and as much as she did not like the idea, she had to admit that it fit him. But only in her head. Not to his face, of course. Because then he would think she agreed with his decision to buy it.

"Well?" he asked her when they stopped beside it. "What do you think?"

She shrugged, glancing at him. "I dunno. It's nice, I suppose."

He turned to look at her, his face incredulous. "Nice you suppose?" He grabbed her arms and turned her so that she faced the bike once again. "It's _beautiful_."

A smile tugged at her lips. "Fine," she conceded. "It's beautiful."

"I don't believe you."

She shook her head. "Believe what you will." She stepped closer to the bike, running her hand over the handle bars. "So is this an ordinary motorbike or have you done something to it?"

Sirius grinned and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Right now it's just an ordinary muggle motorbike. But James plans to help me turn it into more than that. We want it flying by Christmas."

"Flying? What, brooms aren't enough for you?"

Sirius snorted and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Think about it, Sam," he told her as they made their way back into their building. "Who else can say that they've got a flying motorbike?"

"You're not going to make me ride it?" she questioned, glancing at the bike over her shoulder. That had been half the reason why she had argued against it in the first place.

"I thought we could go for a ride in the morning." When her face fell, he chuckled. "I won't force you, but I'd very much enjoy it. It's my birthday, after all."

"Don't you try and make me feel guilty," she snapped as they stepped back inside their flat. "It won't work."

"So you're not even going to consider it?" he asked with a look that looked too much like a pout for her to keep a smile off of her face.

"I didn't say that," she replied. "I'll think about it."

He grinned and she knew that he took that as a yes. She sighed, but he cut it off with a kiss, his hands slipping around her waist. Pulling her against him, he trailed kisses along her jaw to her neck.

"I don't know about you," he murmured against her skin. "But I'm not very hungry anymore."

"Mmm." Her eyes closed. "Me neither."

She moved a hand to the back of his neck. The kisses he placed on her neck made her knees weak and she gripped his upper arm with her other hand to keep herself standing. His hands slipped under her shirt and to her waist, pulling her as close as he could. She still did not feel close enough.

His lips found hers again and she leaned into him, the hand on his neck holding him to her as she kissed him back deeper. He made a sound of approval in the back of his throat. Sirius bent down quickly, slipping one arm under her knees, the other sliding up to her back, and he scooped her up in her arms, causing her to exclaim in surprise. He began to head down the hall and when he reached their bed, he slowly lowered her down to the mattress, lowering himself with her. Their lips never pulled apart.

She moved her hands to his shoulders, her fingers curling and clinging to him. His hands slipped back under her shirt and she shivered at his touch. She fisted her hands in his shirt before she began to pull it over his head. His feet kicked off his shoes as he undid the button of her trousers and began to ease them off of her hips. Her hands began fumbling with the buckle of his belt.

He suddenly cursed, pulling away from her and reaching toward his feet.

"What are you doing?" she asked him breathlessly.

"Can't get my bloody socks off," he grunted, sitting up when he still could not reach his feet as Samantha giggled at him.

It took a moment of struggling, but then he was leaning back over her as he kicked his trousers to the floor, leaving him only in his boxers.

"Okay," he said, sounding proud of himself, as he began to trail kisses along her neck.

"Do you always have a problem with removing your socks?" she teased.

"Shut up," he mumbled, capturing her lips with a heated kiss to keep her from teasing further. Her hands slipped back to his shoulders and then she slowly began to run them down his back, feeling the muscles move under his heated skin. Her hands came to rest at his hips just at the edge of his boxers. A moment later, she began to ease his boxers off of his hips.

Sirius pulled away from her then, his grey eyes filled with a desire she had never seen in them before.

"Are you sure?" he asked huskily, his hands already sliding her shirt up. _Merlin_, he wanted her. He wanted her with every aspect of his being. But he would not push her into anything. He wanted her to want it just as badly.

"Yes," she gasped. "Positively certain."

He smiled then, moving a hand to her hips, his fingers lightly tracing her skin along the edge of the elastic of her panties. She shivered at his touch, moaning softly as she brought one of her hands up to the back of his head, pulling him closer to her so that she could kiss him again. Sirius kissed her deeply, deciding that this was the best birthday present that she could ever give to him. Herself.

* * *

They woke late the next morning in each other's arms. After showers and breakfast, Samantha reluctantly agreed to accompany Sirius on a ride on his new motorbike. He took it slow for her and when they pulled back in front of their building, she had a smile on her face. The afternoon was spent cleaning the flat and cooking. For Sirius's birthday, their friends were going to come over for the evening. It would be the first time they would get together for something that did not involve the war.

By seven o'clock that evening, Samantha had baked a chocolate cake and set out different finger foods. Sirius had set out several bottles of firewhiskey as well as a bottle of wine.

"Do you think you have enough to drink?" Samantha asked teasingly, eying the bottles.

Sirius shook his head. "One can never have enough to drink."

She shook her head as Sirius pulled her close for a kiss. A knock sounded on the door then, followed by James's voice. Sirius groaned.

"Perfect timing as always."

Remus and Peter arrived not long after James and Lily, and soon they were talking and laughing together, for once steering clear of the topic of the war.

"Whatever happened to the map?" Sirius asked. It had not been in his trunk when they had left Hogwarts, and he had been too busy saying goodbye to the school to give it much thought. But now, here with his friends, he remembered it.

"It got confiscated by Filch," James grumbled. "He tried to activate it and ended up getting insulted. When I snuck down to the kitchens for food for the party our last night there. Suppose he's stored it in his office. If we're lucky, someone will unconfiscate it someday. I would hate for our best project to go to ruin."

"Well, now we have another project to focus on," he said, causing James to grin widely.

"Do I want to ask what that project would be?" Remus drawled as he helped himself to a chocolate frog.

"Well, Moony old chap," Sirius replied brightly. "I purchased myself a motorbike yesterday and James and I decided we should make it much more interesting. Would you like to help?"

"I think I'll sit this one out," the werewolf replied dryly.

"What do you plan to do with it?" Peter questioned.

Sirius shrugged. "Right now we plan on making it fly. But if you have any other suggestions, they are highly welcome."

"Did he really buy a motorbike?" Lily asked Samantha. The two of them were seated on the couch, each with a glass of wine in their hand.

Samantha rolled her eyes. "Yes. He knew I wasn't going to get him one so he bought one himself. And now he's got it in his mind that they're going to make it fly."

"They'll figure it out, you know," Lily told her. "They're rather good with charms when they put their mind to it."

"I know," Samantha muttered. "That's why I'm not happy about it. Merlin knows what they'll get into with a flying motorbike."

"Just as long as James doesn't get one as well."

Samantha snorted. "That's the difference in the two. James will do as you ask. Sirius just does what he wants either way."

Lily smiled. "Yes, he is a rather good listener, James."

"To you. He doesn't listen to anyone else."

Lily shrugged. "As long as he listens to me," she said with a grin.

Eventually they were able to stop their conversations long enough to cut the cake. James was quick to say how surprise he was that Samantha had managed to bake a perfectly fine cake without any mishaps, which had earned him a jab in the ribs and a sharp glare. Remus reassured her that it was really good and since Remus had a bit of an obsession with chocolate, she took it to be true.

They boys had begun sipping on the firewhiskey earlier, but once they finished their cake, they began to grow louder and more rowdy as they drank more heavily. With a roll of her eyes, Samantha cast a silencing charm around their apartment so that they would not disturb the neighbors.

"Why did we decide it was a good idea to give them firewhiskey?" Lily asked with a sigh, glancing over at the loud-as-ever Marauders seated at the kitchen table. Currently, Sirius and James were competing to see who could stuff the most chocolate frogs in their mouth. Peter was loudly cheering them on, his speech a bit slurred. Remus was just shaking his head. Drinks usually did not affect him, at least not as much.

"It's his birthday," Samantha replied with a smile. "They don't get to relax like this very often anymore."

"That's true," Lily murmured. "James has been stressed all week. It's nice to see him relaxed for once."

"It's nice to see them all relaxed," Samantha said as she stood to refill her glass with wine. When she passed by Sirius at the table, though it didn't seem as if he was paying her any attention, his arm shot out and snaked around her waist, pulling her down into his lap with a strength she was surprised he had considering how much he had had to drink. "Sirius!" she protested. "Let me go." She tried to pull away, but his arms held her in place.

"Stay and talk to us, Sammie," Sirius slurred, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

Samantha shot a look at Lily, which only caused James's attention to turn to her.

"Lily," he exclaimed loudly, hoisting his glass of firewhiskey in the air. "Come sit over here."

"I'm quite comfortable over here, thank you," she replied.

But at her refusal, his requests became louder and more obnoxious, and she finally groaned in frustration and stood from the couch. When she reached the table, she quickly slid into the empty chair beside James before he could try to pull her in his lap as Sirius had done with Samantha. James was a rather uncoordinated drunk and she was certain she would have ended up being deposited on the floor. Come to think of it, she was surprised Sirius had not ended up doing that very thing to Samantha.

"Sitting here is boring," Sirius whined as he attempted to pour himself another glass of firewhiskey. Half of it ended up on the table instead.

"Yeah," James agreed. "We should go for a ride on your motorbike or something."

Sirius instantly brightened at the suggestion, but Samantha, Lily, and Remus firmly said, "No," simultaneously, causing him to deflate.

"You guys are no fun," he grumbled.

The next hour was spent in a similar fashion. Either Sirius, James, or Peter would suggest something they could do that would be dangerous to their health or their surroundings and Samantha and Lily and sometimes Remus, who was looking more asleep than drunk, would instantly shoot down the idea. Eventually, Remus excused himself and wandered off to the guest bedroom to lie down.

Peter and James, at one point, were arguing over the last chocolate frog and they began to wrestle. If it could be called that. It was more stumbling around each other as each attempted to grab the other. James eventually pushed the smaller boy onto the couch and when Peter landed, he muttered something about being comfortable. By the time James made it back to the table, Peter's quiet snores filled the room and Sirius had eaten the chocolate frog.

Lily stifled a yawn. "Perhaps we ought to go. It's rather late; I'd like to go to bed."

"Mm…bed," Sirius murmured into Samantha's shoulder, his arms tightening around her waist. "Can we go to bed and have a repeat of last ni-?" He broke off with a grunt as Samantha, cheeks rapidly turning red, elbowed him sharply in the stomach.

"If you continue that sentence, you'll be sleeping on the floor," she told him with a glare.

She was lucky James was drunk because although he was staring at them curiously, she knew he would not remember it come morning. Lily gave her a smile, but she did not saying anything.

"Come on, James," the redhead said as she stood up. "It's time to go home or you'll never get up tomorrow."

James groaned loudly as Lily pulled him to his feet. Samantha watched with an amused expression on her face.

"Are you sure you can get him home?" she asked.

James staggered, and Lily grabbed him to support him. "I think I manage," she said with a smile. "At least we've got our own place to go to. I'd hate to have to try and sneak him past his parents."

Samantha grinned at the thought. "Well, just be careful," she said.

She grabbed Sirius's hands with her own and pulled until he let go of her waist. Ignoring his loud protests, she stood and moved to get the door.

"I'll see you Monday," she told Lily as she and James stepped into the hall. Since Lily was working as a potion maker at St. Mungo's, they sometimes ran into each other and most days, they took lunch together.

When Lily and James made it to the staircase, she closed and locked the door and switched the lights for the main room off.

"Time for bed," she announced as she moved back to Sirius.

He grumbled, but clumsily rose to his feet with the help of her steadying hands. When he stumbled, she sighed and grabbed his hand, pulling his arm around her shoulders and allowing him to lean against her.

"I love you, Sam," he mumbled nearly incoherently as they stumbled down the hall.

"I'm sure you do," she replied with a smile as they made it to their bedroom. She deposited him on the bed, deciding he could just sleep in his clothing that night, before moving into the bathroom to brush her teeth and change into her pajamas. When she stepped back into the bedroom, Sirius was struggling to remove his clothes. He'd managed his trousers, but was fumbling with the buttons of his shirt and she sighed.

Moving back to the bed, she sat beside him and brushed his hands aside to undo the buttons herself. He gave her a lopsided grin and leaned forward to give her a kiss. His aim was off- he only got the side of her mouth- but he quickly corrected himself. She allowed it, but when his hands began to sneak under her shirt, she gently pushed him away.

"Not when you've been drinking," she told him, slipping his shirt off of his shoulders. Depositing it on the floor, she pushed him down to his pillows before crawling over him to her side of the bed. No sooner had her head hit her pillow did he roll over to face her, his arm draping across her stomach.

He began to mumble something she could not understand so she tangled her hand in his hair. "Go to sleep," she told him. He fell quiet and it was not long before he began to snore. With a smile, she shifted closer and closed her eyes and decided that overall, it had been a good night.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	38. Chapter Thirty Eight

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**Sorry! I'm finding my inspiration to be coming and going so it's been hard for me to get things done on time. I don't want to promise that I'll have the next chapter up on time, a week from this coming Sunday, but I will try my best. I post updates on my profile if it looks like things are going to be late, so it's always good to check there if you're curious. Enjoy!**

* * *

****Fate

Chapter Thirty Eight

"How have the patrols you've been overseeing going, Alastor?" Dumbledore asked.

"It's a bit of a mix, to be quite honest Albus," the Head Auror answered gruffly. "We haven't run into any trouble yet, but we haven't benefited from it either. We've yet to find out any valuable information from it and I'm beginning to believe we never will. I wanted to see if you thought it was worth continuing."

A thoughtful look crossed Dumbledore's face before he said, "Let us give it one more month. We never know when they'll slip up. In a month we'll decide what to do."

Mad Eye nodded and Dumbledore moved on to another topic. It was the first Order meeting for the month of October. The war was currently at a standstill. There had not been a Death Eater attack in nearly three weeks and the Order had not been able to gain any new information about their enemies. Marlene began to explain how work on the map was going. Right now, they were still researching the past movements of Death Eaters so that the map would be as accurate as possible.

"There's one more matter I wish to discuss before we end the meeting," Dumbledore spoke up when they had deemed they had gone over everything they needed to. "Alastor, Joseph, and myself have long been working on a way for the Order to communicate safely. The floo network is not ideal. It can be watched, and not everyone has a fireplace." Sirius ignored the pointed look Remus shot him. The werewolf had complained that Sirius and Samantha were buying a home without a fireplace, not liking that there was not a way to immediately get ahold of them if the need were to arise.

Dumbledore went on to explain that they had figured out that if done correctly, it was possible to voice a message along with a casted patronus, and send the spell to the witch or wizard of your choice and then they would hear the message. It was a brilliant idea, and most of the Order was eager to learn how to cast the spell.

After, everyone hung back. Dumbledore, Joseph, and Moody taught those who could already produce a patronus how to send a message along with it. Sirius and James were among those who were learning how to cast the spell, having already been taught how to cast a patronus in Auror training. Samantha was across the room speaking with Lily when Sirius's silver eagle soared across the room and, in Sirius's voice, told her how lovely she was, which only earned him a roll of her eyes.

Before everyone left that night, Dumbledore suggested that those who already knew how to produce a patronus should help those that did not. The next few dueling lessons Sirius gave to Samantha focused on teaching her how to cast a patronus. It was a difficult spell for most witches and wizards and she was not an exception. There was no visible improvement at all after their first lesson. But soon she was able to produce a mist. It was nearly two weeks before she succeeded. Sirius had just told her to try one more time before they called it a night so that they could eat dinner; there was a pot of stew slowly cooking on the stove.

She decided to try something new for the day's last attempt. She'd been using memories from her past to try and conjure a patronus. But her past memories had been tainted with the deaths of her family and she was beginning to think perhaps they were not powerful enough. So instead, she found herself concentrating on her future, imagining what her life with Sirius would be like in five years…in ten. It would be happy, she told herself. After everything that had happened, things could only get better.

When a silver figure burst from the tip of her wand, all Sirius could do for a moment was stare. He glanced at Samantha, whose lips were parted in surprise. Then he grinned and wrapped his arm around her waist as her patronus, which greatly resembled his Animagus form, faded away.

"Whenever I wondered what your patronus would be, I didn't quite expect that," he told her.

"Shut up," she muttered, but she was smiling.

It was a good stopping point for the evening, so he suggested that they eat dinner. Samantha was spooning the stew into bowls and Sirius was pouring wine when a knock sounded on their door. Their heads snapped around in surprise. They were not expecting anyone.

Sirius motioned at her with his hand. "Stay here," he told her quietly, sliding his wand out of his robes. He moved to the door slowly, and when the knock sounded again, he called, "Who is it?"

"Open the damn door, Padfoot."

Sirius lowed his wand, his brow furrowed. He turned to look at Samantha, who was now moving towards the door, before undoing the latch to let James into the flat. Sirius was not at all surprised. James wasn't exactly one to give a warning before he dropped by.

"You always have good timing, mate," Sirius told him as James stepped inside. "We were just about to eat dinner. You can have some if you want."

Samantha was at his side by then, but she was frowning. "What's wrong?"

Sirius's lips tilted down, and when he looked back at James, he saw what he had missed before. The lines across his face, the troubled look in his eyes.

"What's happened, Prongs?" he asked, shutting the door.

James sighed and ran his hand through his messy hair. "It's Remus."

Sirius could swear that for a moment his heart stopped beating. Out of all of his friends, he worried about Remus the most. He had an unstable job that did not pay him nearly enough. And since he was living at home, he was dealing with the full moons by himself. But the full moon was not for another week.

"Maybe we should sit down," James said when he saw how Sirius's face paled.

A moment later, Sirius was seated on the sofa and James had sat himself in the armchair to face him. Samantha sat down on the sofa and placed her hand on Sirius's back.

"I only just found out," James told them, his hand running through his hair again. "Dad told me. The Aurors have been over there all afternoon."

Sirius's breath hitched. Aurors. Aurors could only mean a few things, none of them good.

"They were killed, Padfoot. His parents. This morning while he was at work. By Death Eaters."

Sirius released a heavy sigh, breathe he did not realize he had been holding. Leaning forward, he placed his forehead in his hand. Damn Voldemort. Damn his followers. Damn them all. Beside him, he felt Samantha go stiff and his hand sought out hers, giving it a quick squeeze.

"How is he?" he asked hoarsely, rubbing his fingers against his forehead.

"Not good." James's voice was tight, worried. "You know his temper. It's coming out full force over everything. When they tried to take the bodies away. When they touched too many things while searching the house. But other than that, he won't really talk. Lily and Peter are with him now."

Both of Sirius's hands were at his head now and running through his hair, his fingers grasping his hair, tugging at it roughly. He was silent for a long moment. He did not trust himself to speak. He was afraid of what he would say.

Samantha was the one to break the silence, her hand running down his back. "We ought to go to him."

He did not want to go, because then it would certainly be true. But he nodded anyway and allowed her hands to guide him from the sofa and out the door.

* * *

The funeral was held three days later. It was a dreary October day. The clouds were dark with rain, but so far they had not opened up. It was a shame, really. It would have been more fitting for the day. After the funeral, they took Remus back to his home. There was not a gathering planned at his home after the service. They had deemed Remus unable to handle such an event- his foul mood had not lessened and though they did not take offence to being snapped at, they decided it would be best to avoid it with anyone else- and anyway, the cottage he had grown up in was a tad small for the six of them, let alone a group of mourners there to offer their condolences.

Remus did not speak much after the funeral, and only picked at the food Lily fixed all of them for lunch. When Sirius gently suggested that he should eat something, Remus snapped that he was perfectly capable of knowing when he needed to eat before muttering something about taking a walk and shoving roughly away from the table.

As the front door slammed, Sirius sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know what to do."

"He'll come around," Lily replied, moving to remove Remus's plate from the table. James, already finished with his own food, made to reach for it, but Lily shot him a look and moved to store it in the refrigerator should Remus want it later. "He just needs time."

James shook his head. "He's not got time. The full moon's next week. If he goes into it in the mood he's in now…"

"Couldn't you go with him?" Samantha asked. "Make it easier?"

"If he'll let us," Peter spoke up. "But with the mood he's in right now he probably wouldn't."

"Go anyway," Lily declared. "Don't give him a choice."

Sirius gave her an amused look despite himself. "This is Remus, remember? He'll get his way however he needs to. The only way we'll be there is if he allows it."

Lily sighed and sank back down into her chair at the table. "And he can't stay here. It's so isolated. He can't be by himself. Especially not right now."

Sirius shot Samantha a sideways look. "We've actually already talked about that. We've got an extra bedroom. If he wants it, it's his."

A thoughtful look crossed over James's face as he leaned forward and scooped some of Samantha's food off of her plate, earning himself a glare. "Why don't you talk to him, Sam?" he suggested, ignoring the glare and stuffing the food in his mouth.

She shrugged. "I could," she replied. "But I don't know why he'd listen to me before you lot."

"You've already been through it," Sirius told her gently. "It would probably mean a lot more coming from you."

Samantha sighed and glanced out the window. In the distance, thunder rumbled. "I suppose I could try and find him."

"You might want to hurry," Peter suggested. "It looks like a storm's moving in."

A storm did seem to be moving in. As she stepped outside into the crisp air, a strong wind hit her and she wrapped her cloak tightly around herself. The sky was growing darker as more clouds built up. She wondered if Remus was even aware of the looming weather. If he was in any similar state of mind as she had been when her family died, he wouldn't be.

There was a worn path that headed into the forest surrounding Remus's home that she began to make her way down. She was not sure if he had taken the path or not. He had grown up here. He would know the forest as well as the back of his hand. But if she strayed from the path, she would likely get lost.

It turned out she needn't have worried, nor did she have to look as far as she thought. After only about ten minutes of walking, she came across a clearing. Remus was seated in the center, his face turned towards the sky. She wondered if he was waiting for the clouds to turn loose and wash away his sorrow.

She sat beside him silently. If he knew she was there, he gave no indication, not so much of a twitch. But she was patient. At least as long as the storm held up. She joined him in his sky gazing, wondering what was going on in his mind, if he'd remember it one day. She did not remember much from the months following her family's deaths. Except that Sirius had been there for her. But Remus seemed to be determined to have no one there for him with the way he was pushing his friends away.

"I wasn't ready to lose them," Remus suddenly said softly, startling her. "I'm not ready to live without them."

She sighed softly and glanced at him. "I don't think anyone is ever ready," she told him. "Not really. But to have someone taken too early…it's the hardest thing to go through."

He turned to look at her then, his brown eyes regarding her silently for a long moment. Just when she began to think he would not speak, that he would only stare at her, he finally said, "How did you get through it? I remember how you were after. We thought you'd never recover. But you did anyway."

"Well…" The wind was blowing her hair all over the place, and she pushed it out of her face. "To be honest, I think the only thing that kept me from becoming completely lost, the only thing that saved me…were my friends."

Remus exhaled softly and brushed his fingers through his hair. "I've been acting an arse, haven't I? I've been pushing my friends away when all they've been doing is trying to help."

She gave him a small smile. "Well…you've certainly been _trying_ to push your friends away. They haven't allowed it though."

"They are a stubborn lot, aren't they?" He looked down and began to fiddle with his sleeve. "I've never handled a full moon without my parents before," he eventually said, so quietly that she almost did not hear. "Besides Hogwarts of course."

Though she knew his secret, they had never really discussed it together. She was surprised he was bringing it up now. "Your friends will be there in a second. You know that. They became Animagi for a reason."

"They're so busy between their jobs and the Order. I couldn't ask them to…"

She was shaking her head before he trailed off. "To be honest, it would be good for all of you. They could use the break. Besides, I know Sirius has missed it."

"I wouldn't try to stop them, I suppose."

Silence fell between them, and she pushed her hair out of her face again. She was surprised at how easily it had been to get him to talk. He probably had wanted to talk all along, and just had not known how. The thunder rumbled again and she felt a raindrop on her cheek.

"Sirius and I have been talking," she said to break the silence, drawing his gaze back to her. "We're all worried about you staying out here by yourself. It's so far from everything. We have an extra bedroom. If you wanted to stay awhile, at least until things get easier, you're more than welcome."

Remus shrugged and shook his head. "I dunno. I'd feel like I was intruding." He paused for a long moment. "But I remember how Sirius was scared to leave you alone after your family died. And I feel like everyone would end up taking shifts at my house on top of their already busy schedules…"

She smiled. "You can say yes, you know. The offer is there for a reason."

He gave her a sheepish look. "Are you sure I wouldn't be imposing?"

She shook her head. "Not at all."

"Alright. I suppose I could give it a try. For a few days at least."

Remus seemed to notice the storm then, so they decided to head back to the house. They had nearly made it back, the cottage was in sight through the trees, when the clouds finally opened up, pouring buckets of rain on them. They broke into a sprint, but it did not matter. By the time they reached the door, they were soaked. Sirius pulled them inside and then he pulled Samantha's soaked cloak from her shoulders, leading her to the fireplace to warm up as he began to dry her with his wand. James began to do the same for Remus, but the werewolf brushed him aside. But it was in his usual fashion, not the snappish tones he had developed over the past few days.

"So it went well?" Sirius asked her quietly after Remus had moved back to his room to change into something dry.

She nodded. "He's going to be coming to stay with us for a while."

Sirius grinned broadly at that and he rested his forehead against hers briefly. "Thank you."

She returned his smile as he continued to dry her. While Remus was in his room, he packed his bags and later, left his cottage behind to go with Sirius and Samantha to their flat.

* * *

Remus settled into the flat better than he expected. He thought he would feel as if he was intruding, but Sirius and Samantha made him feel welcome, and the three of them learned how to give each other space when it was needed.

He allowed his friends to accompany him on the next full moon. He and Sirius did some research and found a forest that they could apparate to that was far enough away from any civilization that it would not be a danger for them allow a werewolf to roam the woods. Though he was sore and bedridden the day after, the wounds he had been suffering since he left Hogwarts were nearly gone with his friends there to distract him from himself. He'd only had to miss one day of work.

Work with the Order continued to take up most of their free time. Moody's surveillance had finally paid off and they had finally found a possible repeated Death Eater meeting place in an old abandoned town house in Manchester. Meetings became more frequent as they had begun to plan a sort of ambush in hopes they could at least identify some of the Death Eaters. Besides some attacks here and there, the war had pretty much come to a standstill as it seemed each side was waiting for the other to make a move. The Order had decided to risk making the first move. They hoped it turned out to work in their advantage.

Auror training was moving along. Sirius came home exhausted most nights, but he had grown used to it. Moody was still working them overtime to get them ready for mentorship in the summer. Chances were if there was not an Order meeting that night, they would be staying late, though how late depended on the day.

One Friday a couple of weeks into November, Sirius slipped into the flat as silently as possible. It was nearly eleven, late even for Moody. But there had been several Order meetings that week and since it was Friday, he had decided he could compensate by keeping them even later than normal. He was drained, and planned on doing nothing but slipping out of his robes and crawling into bed with Samantha, but he was quick to realize that she was not even in bed. A dim light was on in the kitchen and Samantha was bent over the map she and Marlene had been working on. Sirius was willing to bet that the witch had been over earlier, and after she had left, Samantha had just continued working. She probably did not even realize what time it was. Eleven was not terribly late, but with their schedules, they were in bed fairly early these days.

She had not heard him come in, or at least she gave no indication she did. After slipping out of his cloak and shoes, he made his way over to the table. She was standing, not sitting, and bent over the map and looked to be deep in thought. When he reached her, he brushed his hand down her back. She jumped, but smiled at him as she straightened up.

"You're working late," he said to her quietly so as to not wake Remus, who he was sure was asleep by now. He'd had an early shift that day, and another one in the morning. Having to work weekends was one of the drawbacks of working in a book shop.

"Says the one who just got home," she teased with a smile.

Sirius looked down to study the map and after getting a good look at it, he frowned. "This isn't the map you've been working on with Marlene."

"Well…technically it is. It's just a different map we've been working on."

Furrowing his brow, he looked closer before comprehension dawned in his eyes. "This is a map of the townhouse they've found."

She nodded and lightly traced the lines with her finger. "It looks odd because from what we can tell, they've knocked walls out to combine two together. The whole row is abandoned." Sirius nodded. He'd been on patrol there several times. "What we've done is piece together what surveillance has gathered about the building and drawn our best guess at what the inside layout is like so we're not going in completely blind."

"It's seems to be coming along nicely," he told her, slipping his arm around her waist. "Now come to bed."

Her eyes got a stubborn glint in them. "But I've been making good progress."

"And it will still be here in the morning. You've got to take a break."

She sighed, but after casting one last glance at the map, she allowed him to lead her away and to the bedroom. Sirius was quicker to climb into bed than she was, but when she slipped under the covers, he was still awake. He rolled over to face her, and she could just make out his grey eyes in the dark.

"What is it?" she asked him, concern in her voice, wondering if perhaps something had happened that he had been putting off telling her about. It would not be the first time.

He reached out and brushed her hair behind her ear so that he could see her face better. "Where do you think we'll be in the future?"

It was not what she had expected. "We?" she asked, laying back against the pillows, keeping her gaze on his.

"Yeah." He scooted closer. "We. All of us." His gaze shifted away for a moment. "You and me."

She smiled. "Why do you ask?" she questioned.

He shrugged and lay back against his pillows, his gaze on the ceiling. "I've just found myself thinking about the future more," he murmured. "Imagining what life would be like after the war…if it ever ends." He paused for a long moment. "Would you ever consider marrying me?"

He asked her so softly that she barely heard him, but she did and her breath caught. A smile tugged at her lips and she rolled over so that she was leaning over him. "Why? Are you asking me?"

Sirius was unable to help himself. He snorted. "No. I am absolutely not ready for that yet."

She let out a soft laugh. "Good," she said before she leaned down to give him a light kiss. "Neither am I."

She pulled away from him, but he made a protesting noise in the back of his throat and reached for her, pulling her back down. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To sleep," she replied, though she allowed him to pull her back to him. "You're the one who told me to."

A thoughtful look crossed his face before he shook his head. "No. I told you to come to bed. I didn't say anything about sleep."

She rolled her eyes as he pulled her against his lips. It lasted a bit longer than their previous kiss, and when they pulled away, Sirius sighed.

"Okay, you're right. I'm exhausted. We should sleep."

She shoved his shoulder before collapsing back down on the pillows. He let out a breathy laugh, his arm draping over her waist before he let his eyes close. He fell asleep still wondering about the future.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	39. Chapter Thirty Nine

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**The time I finally had the chapter ready to go on time, our internet goes out. And I thought surely it would be back before I went to bed, but instead we got hit by a storm and lost our power entirely. In the middle of a heat wave. So I ran away to a friend's house. But now I've got power and internet back, so I'm throwing this up really quick before I go out for the day. It's a bit shorter than I like, but I couldn't get another scene done and I decided to go ahead and put it up on time instead of making you wait a few more days. Hopefully my updates will get back on track now. **

**Thanks for the feedback! I really appreciate it!**

* * *

_ Chaos_.

James choked on the air, which was thick with dust. The various spells being cast around him caused the air to glow in odd colors as they reflected off of the air. He covered his mouth with his sleeve in an attempt to keep the dust from filling his mouth. He quickly deflected a killing curse that was aimed at him and spun to face the assailant, firing a stunning spell that unfortunately was dodged.

It had been chaos from the start. There were charms up to prevent any apperation or disapperation. They had entered knowing there would be no easy way out until Moody and his team were able to disassemble the charms. Until his call, they were ordered to do what they could to either capture, or at the very least identify, Death Eaters. They were only to kill if they were given no other choice.

There was only so much they could figure out about the abandoned townhouses before they'd entered. They hadn't realized just how bad of shape they were in. Even now, James could feel the floorboards bending beneath his feet, threatening to no longer support his weight. And they certainly hadn't realized how dusty it would be. It was making conditions more dangerous, impending their vision and making breathing difficult.

He glanced behind him when he got a chance, seeking out Lily. Her hair made her easy for him to spot, which allowed him to quickly relieve his worries. He had been keeping an eye on her since they had arrived, careful to not let her out of his sight. It was easier to not be distracted if he could see for himself that she was alright.

He dodged another killing curse, ducking just in time. A split second later he realized in what direction the curse had been heading and he whirled around. By sheer luck, Lily stepped out of its path to avoid another spell. She glanced up and caught his eye just as the distraction turned against him. He felt a spell catch him in the chest, throwing him back against the far wall. When he landed hard on the floor, he heard the sound of wood splintering as Lily called his name. A moment later, the floor gave out from underneath him, sending him crashing to floor below. It was a hard floor, stone, and when his head cracked against it, his vision swam before going dark.

"James. James!"

He groaned and opened his eyes. His whole body throbbed, particularly his head. He felt something wet and sticky on his forehead and knew he was bleeding. He pried his eyes open and blinked a few times, but his vision did not clear. It took him a moment to realize it was because his glasses were missing. But he could still make out the red hair leaning over him.

"Lily…" he murmured.

"Are you alright?" she asked him as she helped him sit up. "That was a nasty fall."

"'m okay," he murmured, bringing a hand to his head. "Where's my glasses?"

Lily glanced around a moment before she found them lying not far from the, broken in half. She waved her wand at them to repair them before she handed them to James, who slipped them on his face. He glanced around and found they were in some sort of basement. There was no fighting taking place down here, though the sounds from above echoed off of the walls. It was damp and dark and he did not like how uneasy it made him feel.

"We should get back upstairs."

"Can you even stand?" Lily asked, concern in her voice. "Moody still hasn't made the call. I don't know how long you could last."

James waved her off. "I'm fine."

He began to make to stand, and she grabbed his arm and was about to help them when a low chuckling made them freeze. Their heads turned to the dark of the rest of the basement. Footsteps sounded, moving closer. Frantically, James began to search for his wand, which he had dropped in the fall. His fingers finally closed around it, but by then the person stepped into their line of vision, and James found himself unable to lift his wand.

He had never seen Lord Voldemort in person. Very few who opposed him had and lived to tell the tale. Regardless, he knew that was who stood before them now. Cold, blood red eyes stared down at them from a pale, distorted face. James felt Lily's hand jump to his arm, squeezing it so tight he would have winced had he not been too distracted by the dark wizard in front of them.

"James Potter." His voice sent chills up James's spin. "Continuing the like of blood traitors, I see." His gaze turned to Lily and James clenched his jaw tightly. "And this must be the muggle born girlfriend."

Lily's breath hitched. She found the prospect of Lord Voldemort knowing who she was terrifying. Slowly, almost gracefully, Voldemort lifted his wand, pointing it at the both of them, moving it between them.

"Who should I dispose of first? Hm?" His unrelenting gaze shifted between the two of them before coming to a rest on Lily's pale face and wide green eyes. "The mudblood."

A crude smile played across his face as his wand moved back to Lily. James swallowed and wrapped his arm around her, tensing his body. If he concentrated, he may be able to jump in front of the curse and take it himself. He did not know if it would save Lily, he doubted there was anything that could save either of them, but he would be damned if he didn't try.

Just then, he heard the most beautiful sound: Moody's voice, loud and gruff, giving the order for everyone to disapperate. It was followed by loud cracks as the members of the Order disapperated. For just a moment, Voldemort's eyes flicked upward. James knew that he had to act, that he would only be distracted for a second. Holding Lily tight, he concentrated on his childhood home, disapperating the both of them from the townhouse. When he felt the carpet of the sitting room beneath his knees, he finally released the breath he had been holding.

His parents' home had been picked as the rendezvous spot for when they left. The defense charms had been taken down so that they could apparate straight into the house. James was still kneeling on the floor, clinging tightly to Lily as he looked around, taking inventory of his friends. Remus was standing off to the side, cradling his arm, staying out of the way of those helping the more injured. Peter was beside him, his arm wrapped around his waist, a busted rib likely.

Samantha had just made Sirius sit on the sofa where she was now trying to stop the bleeding from a nasty cut on his neck that was causing his face to quickly grow pale. She appeared to have a gash of her own on her arm, but she was ignoring it. Nichole quickly moved to their side. Though she was not a member of the Order, she had been asked to be here when they returned if they should need a healer and she had been happy to agree. It was a good thing. Benjy Fenwick, their own healer, seemed to be unconscious.

Lily was shaking in his arms, and he found her hand to squeeze it. She turned to look at him, her green eyes still frightened.

"James!"

And then his mother was there, pulling him to his feet, checking him over for injury. Alice Longbottom did the same for Lily, quietly asking if she was alright when she saw how shaken she was.

"James?"

His mother placed a hand on his cheek as she frowned. "You're so pale. Are you hurt?"

She made to brush her hand over the cut on his head but he moved it out of her reach and shook his head. "We saw him, mum," he told her. He did not like how shaky his voice was. "He was about to kill us. Voldemort."

Though he had spoken softly, the whole room fell silent. Grace clenched her hand tightly in the front of his robes as if she were afraid he would disappear.

"What?" she whispered.

"What was that, boy?"

Moody had pushed himself to the middle of the sitting room. His gaze was fixed on James, though his magical eye darted around the room. James stepped away from his mother and forced his voice to stop shaking.

"Voldemort," he said, addressing the entire room instead of just Moody. "He was there. Lily and I…" he cast a look her way, "We saw him. He was about to kill us when you made the call."

"We never saw him go in," Gideon Prewitt spoke up. He had been in charge of the surveillance alongside Moody. "We've been watching it for weeks preparing for this."

"Perhaps he was there all along."

James turned at Dumbledore's voice. The wizard was standing in the doorway to the sitting room, a thoughtful look on his face.

"We've known he's been laying low, though why is unknown. Perhaps this is where he has been."

"It doesn't seem like the sort of place he would lie low," Moody said. "But I don't see how he would have gotten inside without us knowing. The defenses never went down once while we were watching, so there was no way for him to apparate inside."

"Whether he's been hiding there or not," Gideon said. "He will be there no longer. We all knew it was a one-time opportunity, that they would abandon it after. And we did manage to identify a few Death Eaters, ones we had been suspecting. Knowing identities will help us narrow surveillance."

James tuned out the conversation as it turned to the success of the night. He moved to Lily, still concerned about her. He'd come so close to losing her earlier. He spent the rest of the night with his arms around her waist.

Before they left for the evening, Dumbledore spoke to them, telling them that they had done what very few had done: defied Voldemort. He would have killed them that night if they had not managed to get away. He warned them that he would not likely forget that.

That night after Lily had fallen asleep, James stayed up, unable to sleep. He could not get Voldemort's voice out of his head, could not forget the feeling that had shot through him when he had declared he would kill Lily first. He did not think it was something he was likely to forget anytime soon.

* * *

"Have you been sleeping any better?"

It was nearly a week after their encounter with Voldemort. Lily had just placed dinner on the table. She already knew the answer to her question. His exhaustion was obvious. Luckily it was now the weekend, and she hoped that maybe he would be able to catch up on his sleep finally. Between trouble sleeping and training, he looked about ready to collapse.

James, his head resting in his hand, shook his head. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked as she sat down. "Talking about it might help."

James shrugged. "You know what's wrong. What's the point in talking about it if you already know?"

Lily sighed and reached over the table to place her hand on top of his own. "It's alright, James," she told him softly. "We got away safely. We're safe."

He snorted and shook his head. "No one's safe. We're in the middle of a war. And you heard what Dumbledore said. Voldemort's not likely to forget that we escaped him."

"He hasn't come yet." She was not quite sure what to say to reassure him. "And Dumbledore also said he's not likely to come after us."

"But he doesn't know that for sure!"

Shaking her head, she stood and moved to the counter. She pulled a vial down from the cabinet and poured a little of it into a glass before moving back to the table, setting the glass in front of him.

"I want you to take this tonight," she told him. "I made it for you today at work."

"What is it?" he asked wearily, running a hand down his face.

"A sleeping draught," was her reply. "You need to sleep, James."

He sighed heavily. "Do I get a choice in the matter?"

Despite herself, Lily gave him a small smile. "Not this time."

They ate after that. Dinner was rather silent. James was thinking about what Lily had said, running it over and over in his mind. He wanted to believe her, he wanted to think that they were not in danger. But every night when he tried to sleep, he heard Voldemort's voice, saw his face. Dumbledore had told them that he wasn't likely to come after them, and Lily believed him. He wanted to believe it too. He would have thought he would have come by now if he had planned to. And since their raid, there had been no attacks. Moody seemed to think that it was because they were lying low, at least for a brief time.

When they finished eating, Lily began to clear the table. James watched her, and slowly, a smile began to spread across his face. He still could not believe that she was his now. Even when he was chasing her all those years, swearing they would one day be together, there was a part of him that wasn't sure. Maybe if that was possible, perhaps surviving this war was just as possible.

Lily turned around, catching him staring. "What is it?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow at him. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

He shrugged, a drunken smile on his face. "I'm just glad I've got you," he told her.

She smiled and moved towards him, sliding onto his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Really?"

"Mm hm." He buried his face in her neck. "As long as I've got you in my life, nothing else matters."

"That's good," she said, resting her cheek against his head. "Because I think I feel the same about you."

"Lily," he took a deep breath, "Will you marry me?"

She pulled away from him as if she had been shocked. When he looked up, she was gaping at him, her green eyes wide.

"James…" she breathed. "I-"

He plowed on, afraid of what she would say.

"I could never live without you, Lily. I mean, I think I've always known that, but the other night really made me realize it."

"James-"

"I was so scared that night, not for myself, but for you. If he'd killed you, it wouldn't have mattered to me if he killed me next. I would have already been dead anyway."

"James-"

"And all this week…it's been you that I've been worrying over so much, not me. I just can't imagine my life without you Lily Eva-"

She cut him off with a kiss. He seemed taken aback at first, but then he closed her eyes and returned it with fervor. His words died on his tongue and for a moment, he lost himself. When he pulled away, he was not able to speak right away, and she took her chance to say what she had been trying to say.

"Yes."

It was amusing to watch the way his hazel eyes widened behind his glasses. It reminded her of an owl, especially when his lips puckered in surprise.

"Wh-what?" he managed to splutter, causing her to giggle.

"I said yes, James. I would love to marry you."

This time it was he who instigated the kiss. She squealed when he stood and spun her around for good measure. All week, she had racked her brains trying to figure out how to pull James out of the stupor he had fallen into. All week, she tried different things to no avail. Even the fact that the quidditch match Samantha had gifted Sirius tickets to was in a week had not done it, even though he would be attending with his friends. Before, it had been nearly all he had talked about. She had even talked to Samantha about it during the week while she was at work, but even she had no idea what to do. If quidditch wouldn't do it, it seemed nothing would. Lily hadn't realized it would be as simple as proposing marriage. If she had, she would have done it herself. Because she felt as if she could fly.

* * *

James and Lily kept their engagement a secret, at least until James found her the perfect ring. Then Lily could not hold it in any longer. They celebrated the night it was announced. Lily pretended to not notice when Sirius slipped five galleons into Remus's hand. She was not surprised that his friends had bet on whether or not they would get married, they had probably done it years ago, but she did not say something to James. Not at the moment at least.

The first snowfall came, and not long after, December followed. A couple of weeks in, Christmas was in the air. Sirius was in high spirits and often bellowed Christmas carols as he walked around the flat. For the most part, Remus and Samantha ignored him, which only made him act more obnoxious.

One weekend, a week before Christmas, Samantha and Remus went out shopping for food. They would be having Christmas dinner at their flat and some of the food that they planned on cooking that would keep for a long time they had decided to go ahead and cook since their jobs and the Order kept them so busy.

They returned to the flat, their arms full of groceries. They would probably have to go back again at the end of the week. Samantha had seen the Marauders eat enough to know that no matter how much food was prepared, they would eat it all. Remus was planning on doing most of the cooking. The other night, Samantha had cooked dinner and the boys had only taken one bite before they turned green. That was when Remus had told her that he would take care of Christmas dinner, assuring her that he would make sure to cook the recipes she wanted. She planned to have a dinner quite like the one she had had with her family any other year.

It was difficult to wrestle the door opened with their arms laden with groceries, but Remus managed to. When they stepped inside, their mouths gaped open and Remus was quick to kick the door shut so that no one could see inside.

"What in Merlin's name…"

The flat was transformed. A large Christmas tree that had not been there that morning was in the corner of the sitting room, bursting with decorations. Garlands of ivy were draped over any surface that they could be draped on and mistletoe hung from the ceiling. Snow was falling from seemingly nowhere, covering everything in a light dusting, though it did not seem to be getting any deeper. Christmas music was playing from an unknown source.

Samantha took a step backward. "Are we in the right flat?" she whispered, then cringed when Sirius's voice broke into another Christmas carol, sounding as if was coming from the bedroom.

Her arms growing tired, Samantha moved to the counter to put the bags of groceries down. She wrinkled her nose at the dusting of snow and brushed it off where she wanted to sit the bags, glaring at the ceiling as more snow quickly took its place.

"Sirius!"

The singing cut off abruptly, and Remus thought that Sirius would at least be sheepish over his extravagant decorating. But when he rounded the corner, he had a large grin on his face.

"What do you think?" he asked, throwing his hands up in the air almost as if he thought they had not yet noticed his decorations.

He looked so excited that any anger Samantha felt melted away. Wrinkling her nose, she glanced around. "Well…isn't it a bit much?"

He deflated a bit. "It's our first Christmas in the flat. I wanted it to be special." He looked around at his decorations. "You don't like them."

"No, no," she said quickly, shaking her head. "I do, it's just…the snow and music…living with that is…"

Sirius sighed and with a wave of his wand, the snow stopped falling and the music was silenced. "I wasn't going to leave them going all week," he told her with a smile. "It was just to surprise you. It's mostly for Christmas dinner."

He flashed them a grin before bursting back into song and striding back towards the bedroom.

"I'm scared to see what he's doing back there," she muttered as she moved to put the food away.

"You do realize," Remus drawled, moving to help, "That if you hadn't said anything, the snow and music would have been going all week."

"Yes," she sighed. "Which is why I singled those out."

"Very smart," he told her with a chuckle.

Good to his word, Sirius did not make it snow or the music play in the flat all week. At least not while Samantha was there. But his Christmas spirit was not ruined. He even helped Remus with the cooking when he got a chance.

Christmas was on a Monday that year, and by noon their flat smelled of turkey, pumpkin pie, and cinnamon bread. Bread was one thing Samantha was capable of baking and she had been baking it all morning. Sirius had been singing all morning, sneaking bits of bread and other food when he could, earning himself glares from Samantha and Remus. But he ignored them.

Lily and James arrived around four, and Peter not long after. The counters were covered in food by then, and James's mouth seemed to be salivating at the sight of it. They sat down to eat, and despite the amount of food that was cooked, the Marauders ate nearly every bit of it. Lily shot Samantha a disgusted look at one point, but the smile on her face spoke otherwise.

As soon as the meal was done, Sirius was quick to make the snow fall again. Samantha rolled her eyes at him but did not say anything. It was Christmas. She supposed she could allow it. They moved to the sitting room to exchange gifts and then after, sat around talking for a long time. It was rare for them to get together. Normally they saw each other at Order meetings, where often the mood was solemn.

It was late when they left, and after everything was cleaned up, they decided to go to bed. It had been a long day. While he got ready for bed, Sirius watched Samantha closely, but she was acting fine. He frowned but did not say anything to her. He didn't want to ruin the day that they had just had. When she slipped into bed, he slid close to her and her hand slipped around his waist and drifted off to sleep.

When he woke up, a faint light was coming in through the window. The blinds were cracked slightly, just enough for him to see that it was snowing. That would explain why the flat was so cold. He sighed, closing his eyes and rolling over. His arms sought Samantha out, but he only found air. He opened his eyes and saw that her side of the bed was empty. He sighed again and pushed himself up. As he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, he shivered and grabbed the extra blanket they kept at the foot of the bed, wrapping it around himself as he stood.

He did not have to look far. She was standing in the hallway watching the snow fall, her arms crossed over her chest. He watched her for a moment before stepping up to her, opening the blanket and wrapping it around her, pulling her against him.

"Are you alright?" he asked her quietly.

She did not answer and he did not push her to. After a few minutes, she turned to face him and pressed her face into his shoulder. He wrapped the blanket tighter around her and rested his chin on top of her head. He stood there for a long while, watching the snow grow deeper on the windowsill. Eventually, he led her back to bed. Later, they would be meeting Adrien and Nichole at the cemetery. He kept the blanket wrapped around them and stayed awake until she fell asleep. After she drifted off, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and did the same, a whispered promise to keep her safe on his lips.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	40. Chapter Forty

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**Here it is! Chapter Forty. I can't believe this had made it that far. Speaking of, this is getting really long. I've been contemplating making the chapters longer. The trade-off is that it would take me a bit longer to update, and there would not be a set update day, which currently is every-other Sunday. I'm still deciding if it would be best to do this or keep it at what I'm doing now. Feel free to let me know what you think. If I decide to wait and not update it on time in two weeks, I'll put a note on my profile so you will know. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

****Fate

Chapter Forty

Sirius was whistling when he entered the flat one Wednesday afternoon in mid-January. It was a rare day indeed. Moody, in very rare form, had told Wilkinson, the Auror in charge of the their training, to give them the afternoon off. They hadn't questioned it and had been quick to disperse. James walked off muttering something about surprising Lily with dinner. Sirius wasn't quite sure what he would do with his time off. He liked it that way. He couldn't remember a time he didn't have something to do. Maybe he would pick Samantha up from work later. That would surprise her. It had been weeks since he'd been home before eight.

He was the only one home, or so he thought. Samantha's training when until five every day and Remus's shift at the bookstore went until three that day. The lights were off and he flipped them on when he stepped inside. It took him a few steps in to realize someone was seated on the couch.

"I thought you were at work."

Remus turned to look at him. "I could say the same to you."

There was something in his voice that caused Sirius to pause. He frowned and stepped closer, seeing for the first time how troubled Remus seemed. His brow was furrowed, a heavy frown on his face, and his eyes seemed worried.

"What is it?" he asked, moving to sit in the armchair.

Remus shook his head, not quite meeting his gaze. "Nothing."

There was the tone again. Sirius's frown deepened. "I hate to break it to you mate, but I do know you well enough to know when you're lying. So you may as well spill it." He folded his arms behind his head, making a show of leaning back in the chair and making himself comfortable. "I can sit here as long as I need."

Remus sighed, shaking his head. He finally met Sirius's gaze. Sirius could see the defeat in them and suddenly knew what the werewolf was going to say just before he began to speak.

"I was fired."

There was an air of finality in his voice that suggested he did not want to speak of it more, but Sirius was not one to keep his mouth shut.

"They don't know what they're losing," he declared immediately. They had known it was only a matter of time. Remus simply could not go in to work the days after the full moon and eventually it was going to add up to be too much. He'd only hoped that they'd hold onto him a little longer. "You'll just have to find another one."

Remus snorted. "Until they tire of me, too? And it's not that simple. It took me ages to find this job."

"Talk to Pete," Sirius suggested. "You could work in his father's shop."

"They don't make enough money as it is. They can't afford to pay me."

It was true, and Sirius knew it.

"There's other book stores. Or perhaps a library. Or café. Or hundreds of other options. You'll just have to find the one that will hire you."

Remus nodded. "I suppose I will. I don't have much choice do I?" He sighed and sagged against the couch, running his hands through his hair. "I'll be out by tomorrow."

Sirius's arms dropped down to his sides and for a long moment, he only stared. "What are you talking about, Moony?" he eventually sighed.

"I can't contribute. I'm not going to stay here for absolutely nothing."

When Remus had first moved in, he had tried to pay them something for allowing him to stay there. They wouldn't allow it, but he insisted on helping to pay for the food.

"We don't care about that, Remus." Sirius ran his hand down his face. "And how are you going to manage to feed yourself?"

Remus shrugged, a stubborn look upon his face. "I'll figure something out."

"Do you think it's safe? For you to live in the middle of that damn forest alone?"

Shaking his head, he replied, "It's not safety I'm worried about, Padfoot."

"It ought to be," Sirius snapped, finally losing some of his patience. "Don't you remember two months ago? Voldemort knew who James and Lily were. Don't you think maybe he knows who you are, too?"

"He knows James because of his family," Remus argued.

"You still don't need to be living on your own. By the time we found out something was happening, it would be too late."

Remus sighed and stood. "I am capable of taking care of myself, Padfoot," he said as he moved towards the hallway. He felt a headache coming on and wished to lie down.

"Remus. Please."

He paused and turned. Sirius suddenly looked worried, like he thought he might have actually lost the argument. And that was when Remus realized that moving out would be much more of a burden to his friends than staying. Sirius was stressed enough without having to add constantly worrying about him to the mix.

He sighed heavily, realizing that he was going to have to give in, at least for now. "Talk to Sam about it first, at least," he said quietly before moving to his bedroom. Now he definitely had a headache.

Despite himself, Sirius grinned. If anything, Samantha would fight Remus on the subject even more than he had. If she had been there, there would not have been need of an argument. She wouldn't have listened to one.

Sirius did not see Remus the rest of the afternoon and at four-thirty, he left to surprise Samantha. He leaned against the building that disguised the hospital from muggle eyes, waiting for her to appear. When the trainees began spilling out of the building, he was well aware of some of them staring and whispering. He pretended he did not notice. He hadn't been stared at like that since he'd left Hogwarts, at least not by those who very likely knew who he was.

He was surprised at how many trainees there were until he remembered that Samantha had once told him how many started out. This was the easy part. It was when they started doing hands-on things this summer that they would start weeding out those they did not want. And even more would be weeded out in a year, when a select few were chosen for mentorship. Only those chosen would go on to be healers and only if their mentors decided they could. Those who weren't chosen had the option to try training again, but most found something else to make their career.

"What are you doing here?"

He turned to find Samantha walking towards him, a smile on her face. He grinned and pushed himself away from the wall, leaning down to give her a quick kiss in greeting.

"Moody took pity and let us off for the afternoon," he said in answer to her question. "Though I'm sure he'll make up for it in the morning." He noticed a piece of parchment she was clutching in her hands. "What's that?"

"A letter from Amber," she replied. "It came this morning after you'd left but I didn't have a chance to read it until now."

"How is she?" Word from Amber was rare, mostly because she moved around so much.

Samantha smiled. "Well, it seems. She's currently in Paris. And guess who she's run into." When he gave her a clueless look, her smile broadened. "Mason."

Sirius blinked in surprise. "As in the Mason I played quidditch with at Hogwarts Mason?"

She nodded. "They used to spend time together at school before he left. Apparently they're living together at the moment."

Sirius's eyebrows rose. "Really? Now that's interesting. I never thought I'd see the day."

"Neither did I."

"Something else happened today," he told her. "Remus lost his job."

Her face fell. "Already? I was hoping it would last a bit longer."

"So was I," he agreed. "And he's under the impression he's moving out since he can't contribute."

She snorted. "Absolutely not."

He grinned broadly as he slipped his arm around her shoulders. "I knew that's what you would say," he said as they began to make their way down the sidewalk. "I've pretty much talked him out of it, but you'll probably want to talk to him as well."

"Oh, I will, don't worry," she assured him.

Sighing contentedly, he said, "It's a nice day out. Do you want to walk home?" It would only take half an hour.

She shrugged. "I don't mind. But don't you start complaining about the cold."

He gave her an insulted look. "Me?"

"Yes, you. You're a big baby."

"Hm." A sly grin spread across his lips. "We'll see if you still say that tonight."

She flushed and shoved him away roughly. He let out a barking laugh, sliding his arms around her waist before she could walk away from him.

"I'm sorry," he said, still laughing. "I'll behave."

She shot him a look, but did not try to pull away. For the remainder of their walk, they speculated how Amber and Mason had managed to run into each other, what it meant and where it may take them. By the time they made it back to the flat, they were both freezing, and while Sirius cooked dinner, he listened to Samantha sternly tell Remus how he was not going anywhere. Hiding a smile, he decided that despite the war, life was going well, and he was happier than he'd ever imagined he would be.

* * *

Between Sirius and Samantha, Remus decided to stay with them, at least for a little while longer. He began searching for a job immediately, but he also felt he needed to help more around the flat since he was unable to help out with money. He took over the cleaning and cooked most of the meals. Samantha told him he didn't have to, but he insisted and she did not fight him because at least he was still staying with them. By March, he still had not found a job and was beginning to get discouraged. In an attempt to take his mind off of it, they planned a get-together in mid-March to celebrate both Remus's and James's birthdays. Remus told them not to go through so much trouble for him, but they insisted, and could tell that despite his protests, he was grateful for the distraction.

Since Sirius and Samantha had hosted both Sirius's birthday and Christmas, Lily decided that this party would take place at her and James's house. When Sirius, Samantha, and Remus arrived, the smell of food filled the house. Lily had cooked pork chops for dinner, Remus's favorite, and after, there was a chocolate cake covered thickly in chocolate icing. Remus ate two large pieces with a grin on his face.

After eating, they sat around the table and talked, not able to do much else on account of being stuffed. Peter had to leave early. His father was ill and he was responsible for the shop starting early in the morning. Lily and Samantha each had a glass of wine in front of them while Sirius, Remus, and James had opened a bottle of firewhiskey between them. They were not drinking as heavily as they had been at Sirius's birthday, but they were still acting obnoxious, James and Sirius more than Remus.

"How's the motorbike going?" James asked.

Samantha rolled her eyes as Sirius grinned broadly. "We finally got it to fly," he replied. Though he and James had planned on getting it to fly by November, it had been more difficult than they had expected. After begging, Remus had agreed to help and a couple of days ago, they had finally succeeded. "I haven't had a chance to really try it out yet. I'm hoping to tomorrow." He waggled his eyebrows at Samantha. "I was hoping Sam would join me."

"Absolutely not."

Sirius frowned deeply, though it resembled more of a pout. "Why not?" he whined. "It's no fun if I have to go by myself."

"Then take Remus," she told him, an air of finality in her voice. "He's the one who finally got it to fly."

Remus made some sort of snorting noise. "Part of the agreement I made with helping him make it fly was that I would never have to experience it. If he knows what's good for him, he'll hold up his part of the deal."

"Yeah yeah." Sirius waved him off. "What about you, Prongs? Want to come over and take it for a spin tomorrow?"

James's face brightened, but with one glance at Lily, he deflated. "I can't," he mumbled. "We're going round to Lily's parents' tomorrow morning. Something about wedding plans."

"And they want to take you to lunch for your birthday," Lily added. She reached for James's glass of firewhiskey and slid it away from him. "Which is also why you can't drink much tonight. I need you to be functional in the morning."

"At least let me finish the glass," James protested, gesturing at the full glass. "So it doesn't go to waste."

"I told you that you could have two glasses. Don't think I missed when you poured the third, James Potter."

Muttering under his breath, James glared at the table.

"Don't worry, James," Sirius said, pulling the glass towards him. "Sam will finish the glass for you."

Samantha wrinkled her nose as Sirius pushed the glass in front of her. "I don't like firewhiskey."

"Mm hm." Sirius gave her a dubious look. "And have you ever actually drank it before?"

She cast another look at the glass. "Well…no. But I am absolutely not drinking that."

A thought seemed to occur to Sirius then, and a sly grin slowly spread across his face. "I'll make a deal with you. You drink firewhiskey instead of wine tonight and I won't make you go on the motorbike with me tomorrow."

Samantha hesitated. She wasn't much of a drinker and usually only stuck to a glass or two of wine on special occasions, and sometimes a small glass with her dinner. But she had never had anything else before, lest of all firewhiskey. But she was completely terrified of that motorbike enough when it wasn't in the air. Just the thought of flying on it made her stomach twist.

"What kind of bargain is that?" she asked him. It was an odd one, but nothing Sirius ever did any more surprised her.

Sirius shrugged. "Call it an experiment," he told her. "I want to see which one you'll choose."

Samantha stared at the glass for a long moment, weighing her options. She knew that once Sirius had made up his mind there would be no changing it. No matter how ridiculous it was. She had given up on trying to figure out how his mind worked.

She sighed deeply and pulled the glass towards her. "Fine," she muttered. "This is ridiculous."

Sirius grinned widely and Lily shook her head. "I can't believe you let him talk you into these things."

Samantha shrugged. "I've learned it's best not to argue with him. And this is a much better option than having to ride that dumb motorbike."

Sirius's grin disappeared. "Oy!"

Remus snorted. A smile tugged at James's lips, but he was oddly silent, his eyes narrowed at Sirius. If the other boy noticed, he gave no indication.

"Well, go on then," Sirius urged, his face still sour over the insult on his bike.

Samantha shot him a look before picking the glass up. She took a tentative sip and pulled a face, grimacing as it burned its way down her throat. Sirius laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"It's better to just drink as much that will fit in your mouth or you'll never get through it. Not with the way it burns."

Around them, conversation picked back up. Remus had asked Lily how wedding plans were going and Lily was filling him in, explaining how there was so much to get done by the time June, and the wedding, arrived. James looked bored by the topic, though he was fiddling with the engagement ring on Lily's left hand. He'd stopped glaring at Sirius and seemed to be at least trying to pay attention to the talk of his upcoming wedding.

Taking a deep breath to prepare herself, Samantha raised the glass back up to her lips, this time taking a deep swallow. Her throat burned as the whiskey made its way to her stomach and she wondered why anyone would choose to partake in such a drink.

"There," she choked out around the burning. "I drank it."

Sirius's grin was back and she was beginning to loath it. "You have to drink the whole glass, Sam."

She shot an appalled look at the glass in question. It was large, larger than the average glass. Normally the boys just poured a little in, which they slowly drank. At least on nights like tonight when they had decided to stay sober. But James, likely in an attempt to rile up Lily, had filled his glass to the brim. The drink she had just taken from it had hardly put a dent in it.

"I am not drinking the whole glass," she argued.

Sirius shrugged. "Fine. We'll take the motorbike for a spin first thing tomorrow."

Shooting him a look that went ignored, she took another drink, this time prepared for the burning that followed. Sirius squeezed her shoulder and jumped into the conversation, which had turned to Remus's job hunt. Lily was telling Remus about a potential job she had found not far from hers and James's home. Sirius chimed in to say he had heard of a couple in the area as well. As Samantha set down her glass, she noticed that her head was beginning to feel odd. Waving it off as her beginning to get tired, she joined in on the conversation as well.

Over the next hour the discussion shifted several times. The upcoming wedding was the main topic, and once, James asked Sirius when he and Samantha were going to get married. Sirius had spluttered out some sort of a response, looking very much like he wished to rip James's head from his shoulders. Every now and then, Sirius, who still had his arm wrapped around her, would pinch her shoulder to remind that she was to be drinking. She complied, taking smaller sips as she had grown used to the burning. Her head continued to feel strange, but the more sips she took, the less she found herself caring. At one point, she nearly dropped the glass, spilling some over her hand. No one had noticed, so she had placed the glass carefully back on the table and did not touch it again until she felt Sirius's fingers lightly pinch her skin. When she drank this time, she took another deep drink, deciding that if she emptied the glass enough, it would not spill on her the next time that she nearly dropped it.

Sirius was listening to James tease Remus about the amount of cake he had eaten that night (the werewolf had just suggested they all have another slice) when he felt lips upon his neck. The feeling was too pleasant for him to question Samantha's sudden uncharacteristic public display of affection. But when she pulled away to suggestively whisper something in his ear that made even his cheeks turn red, he jerked in surprise, knocking their heads together painfully. Sirius bit back a curse, clutching his head, but Samantha only giggled.

"Ow," she said cheerfully, and even with just that short word, Sirius could tell that her speech was slurred.

The conversation had fallen silent.

"Did you get her drunk?" Remus asked, his voice incredulous, as he watched Sirius attempt to check her head for a bump, though she would not sit still long enough to allow him to.

James was smirking. He had never thought to ever see her drunk – she had told him so many a time- and he suddenly wished he had a camera to document the even. But he could at least bring it up every chance he got.

"I can't believe this." Lily tried to make her voice angry, but the situation had her more amused than she cared to admit.

"It's not like I did it on purpose," Sirius argued, giving up on his attempts to check her head and focusing instead on trying to keep her from falling out of her chair. "It takes a lot more to get me drunk," he added, casting a glance at the glass, which was only halfway empty.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Well of course it does," she cried, gesturing at him. "Look at you compared to her." Where Sirius was tall and muscular, Samantha was shorter and lithe. "It's going to take a lot less to affect her."

Sirius groaned and slid the glass out of her reach as she tried to pick it up and take another drink, effectively cutting her off. She pouted at him, but he ignored it. "I am in for an earful."

"It serves you right," Lily told him.

"If you're lucky," Remus spoke up, "Her low tolerance will mean she'll pass out quicker."

Sirius could only hope. He soon learned that alcohol made Samantha more grabby, and most of his time was spend trying to hold her hands down. Twice more, she said something highly suggestive, one loud enough for the others to hear. James had choked on the water he had been drinking in place of the firewhiskey Lily had taken away. He'd abruptly pushed away from the table, and muttering something about forever having that image of his two best mates burned in his mind, stalked off to bed.

Luckily, not long after, she finally fell asleep against Sirius's shoulder. It was late and he and Remus declared it time to go then. Sirius gently scooped Samantha up in his arms and Lily saw them do the door, wishing Sirius luck as he left.

"She's going to kill you," Remus said as he and Sirius walked into their building. She was asleep in Sirius's arms, her head resting against his shoulder.

"I know, Moony," he sighed. "I know."

"Why was James glaring when she first started drinking?" Remus had wondered this since he'd first noticed it, but he hadn't wanted to ask in front of him. He thought maybe he'd had something against her drinking, but the smirk he'd seen when she'd began to act drunk had led him to believe it was something else.

Sirius shrugged. "We bet I couldn't get Sam to drink firewhiskey. Lily, lovely Lily, put that opportunity right into my hands. I imagine he was sour about it. But he couldn't say anything."

Remus shook his head. "She is _really_ going to kill you."

"Shut up, Moony," Sirius muttered.

Samantha woke up the next morning to a pounding head. It took her a moment, but when she recalled the previous night, at least pieces of it, she groaned loudly, pulling the covers over her head, partly in an attempt to hide and partly in an attempt to get away from the sun streaming through the window, which was hurting her eyes. She heard Sirius enter the room, but did not reemerge from under the covers.

"I know you're awake," he told her. She felt the bed shift as he sat down. "I heard you." When she made no response, he shook his head. "You can't stay under there forever."

He gently peeled the blankets back. When her face emerged, she shut her eyes against the sunlight and rolled towards him, resting her forehead against his knee.

"My head hurts," she mumbled.

"I imagine it does," he replied, running his hand over her hair. "I brought you something for the headache."

She cracked her eyes opened and saw he had a goblet in his hand.

"This is your fault," she told him, her eyes narrowing.

"And I will never allow you to drink again," he replied sincerely.

"Allow?" Despite the ache in her head, her voice was incredulous. "You _made_ me."

He shrugged. "Well, I'll never make you either." He grinned slyly. "Unless I want to hear you talk dirty again."

Her face reddened and she pulled the covers back over her head.

"I was kidding," Sirius said in exasperation, trying to pull the covers down again, but she was clutching them tightly. "Sam."

He finally managed to coax her back out, and he handed her the goblet. After she had drank all of the potion, she glared at him.

"You're a mean person," she told him crossly.

His grin was back. "But you like my anyways."

"Sometimes," she told him after a long pause.

He frowned and leaned down to kiss her. She allowed it and when he pulled away, he said "Always," triumphantly, his face far too pleased.

"Whatever you say," she sighed, settling back down against the pillows. The bed was comfortable and she felt as if she could stay there forever.

"Do you want something to eat?"

His hand was back on her head and it felt oddly soothing against the pounding, which thanks to the potion, was slowly lessening to a dull ache. At just the mention of food, her stomach churned uncomfortably and she closed her eyes.

"No," she replied, stubbornly fighting off the nausea.

"Is there anything else you want?"

She hated the thought of that hand leaving her head so she said, "Just stay with me for a bit."

"Okay."

She felt him relax against the pillows, but his hand never left her hair. She eventually dozed back off and when she woke, she found him still beside her, asleep. For a bit, she watched him sleep fondly and then with a start, wondered when she had fallen in love with Sirius Black.

* * *

Sirius glanced up as a knock sounded on the door. It was an almost hesitant sound and he frowned. He was seated on the floor in front of the dresser he shared with Samantha. The bottom drawer was disorganized, filled with things they did not want to throw away but had no other place to put them. They had spoken of trying to organize it, and since it was Sunday, he decided he had time to at least look at it and contemplate what they could possibly do with it.

With a grunt, he pushed himself to his feet, wondering who would be at the door on a Sunday afternoon. Samantha had gotten called into work for the afternoon. One of the training days later on in the week had had to be cancelled, so to make up for it, they had been asked to come in Sunday afternoon. Remus had gone on a walk, partly to get out of the house and partly to search out any help wanted signs that he may see. Mica sat in the doorway of their bedroom and he stepped over the cat, pulling a face at him as the cat hissed and swiped at his feet. He'd missed that time but Sirius had several scratches that proved he didn't always.

He was not certain who he suspected was on the other side of the door. There were some who were higher on the list than others. Lily Evans certainly was not high on that list, but that was who stood in the hallway when he opened the door nonetheless. She looked as if she would have him believe she was alright, but the tightness in her face gave away that something was wrong. Sirius frowned and stepped aside to allow her in, but not before he checked the hallway for James. When he found him absent, his mind jumped to conclusions.

"What's he done?"

Lily gave him a confused look and shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

"James," Sirius clarified, not sure why it needed to be done. "Has he been an idiot? Said something stupid? Called off the wedding?" He realized how absurd the last one sounded – this was James after all- and muttered, "No, I don't suppose he called off the wedding."

Lily shook her head again and suddenly looked close to tears. Sirius fought the urge to pull a face. He did not like it when people cried around him. He never knew what to do.

"No, no, it's not James," Lily told him, her voice threatening to break. "It's…" she fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "I got a phone call from my sister…an hour ago." Her voice was suddenly small, and he could hear the thickness in it that told him that she was putting all of her effort into trying not to cry.

"What did she say?" he asked gently. He knew all about her sister and figured that she had called and things had turned sour. He thought it odd, though. According to James, Lily had not heard from her sister in months, not since Lily had moved in with James.

"She told me that she didn't want to talk to me." A tear leaked from her eye. "But that she supposed she had to tell me."

"Tell you what?" Sirius prodded when she stopped. He was quickly becoming uncomfortable with the situation and was beginning to wish that Samantha, or even Remus, was there.

"My parents are dead."

He could tell that this was the first time she'd said it aloud, because she looked surprised for a moment before she burst into tears. He was shocked to say the least. They'd always considered Lily's parents the safest since they had little to no dealings with the wizarding world. But tragedy could strike muggles just as easily.

Awkwardly, he put his arm around her shoulders and suggested she sit down, leading her to the couch. He found a box of tissues in the guest bathroom and brought them out of her. As she dabbed at her eyes, she managed to get out what Petunia had said had happened. That her parents had gone out the night before and had never come home. How their car had been found on the side of the road early this morning, turned over in a ditch. How they'd died upon impact. Lily voiced what Sirius had already begun to think: that perhaps it wasn't as accidental as it appeared. But Sirius reassured her that it probably wasn't, though he knew it wouldn't make the pain any better. But it may lessen the guilt he could see through the sadness.

"I wouldn't have come here," she told him. Her tears had slowed but occasionally, she had to suppress a sob. "But James is doing surveillance for the Order. And I couldn't very well send him a message while he was doing that. I was hoping to speak to Sam…"

"She's not here," Sirius told her, though he was sure she'd already figured that out. "She's had to go into work. But I've just sent her a message."

He did his best to comfort her, offering her water, food. She refused everything and stared at the wall silently. Remus returned shorty after and when Sirius told him what had happened, the werewolf sat beside her on the sofa, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and saying things to her that Sirius could not make out. He was glad. Remus was better at this than him.

It took Samantha a lot longer to arrive than he thought it would. But when she finally stepped through the door, he saw why. She must have contacted people to find out where James was, because he stepped in behind her and was at his fiancé's side in an instant. Remus moved out of the way and joined Sirius and Samantha in the kitchen. Samantha instantly began busying herself to make tea and between her and James, they managed to get Lily to drink some.

The funeral was two days later. The ceremony was held in a church not far from Lily's childhood home. Petunia was there with her new husband, Vernon Dursley, but they did not so much as glance their way and seated themselves on the other side of the church. James growled something under his breathe right before the service started, but Samantha smacked his leg to keep him quiet. After the service, in which Lily gave a speech about all her parents had done for her, the mourners gathered around the gravesite to pay their last respects.

It was not until the last of the mourners had left that Petunia finally spoke to her sister, stiffly walking up to where Lily and James stood before her parents' graves, her husband on her arm.

"I can't believe," Petunia hissed, her eyes darting to where Sirius, Samantha, Remus, and Peter were waiting a short ways away, "That you brought _them_."

Lily took a deep breath as if preparing herself before saying, "Petunia, this is James, my fiancé," completely ignoring what her sister had said.

Petunia's eyes narrowed as she scrutinized James. Beside her, Vernon eyed James up and down. "Is this one of the freaks you were telling me about? He certainly looks like one."

James Potter was more insulted than anything. He'd gone through extra effort that morning to dress as any muggle so that he would more fit in amongst the Evans's friends. "I don't think you ought to be throwing around insults," James replied, his voice more cheerful than threatening as his eyes fell to Vernon's large gut. "I'd hate for you to get winded."

Vernon Dursley's face darkened. "You watch what you say to me, _freak_."

"And you," James's voice now had a warning tone, "Watch what you say in front of Lily."

"She's just as bad as the rest of you," Petunia sniffed.

Lily recoiled at her sister's harsh words and James's eyes flashed angrily. "She may be different from you," he told them, voice low, "But she's a lot better person that you'll ever be."

James led Lily away then, determined to have had the last word. Lily thanked him quietly. If he had not been there, she would not have been able to say anything in her defense. Lily longed to turn around, to go back and ask her sister to forgive her for whatever she had done, but she didn't. Not even a glance. If she had known that that was the last time she would ever see her sister, she may have done it differently. Years later, Petunia would think the very thing.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	41. Chapter Forty One

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**Sorry this took so long! My summer is wrapping up and I've been busy with work, friends, and family problems. I posted a note that this would be late on my profile, but I don't know how many people actually check that. This will be a good time to mention that classes start back up for me on Monday, and they will now be my priority. I'm hoping to still have plenty of time to write, but I also need to start looking for another job so I don't know how much free time I'm going to have. That being said, I'm going to have to stop my updates every other Sunday. I've been having a hard enough time trying to follow them without adding school into the mix. So I'm just going to have to update when I have the next chapter ready. This will likely mean a longer wait between chapters, but if I hit a bit of inspiration and have the time, it could also mean a shorter wait. It just depends. So just keep checking back here for updates or there's the option to get alerts when I've updated it. Whatever works best for you. **

**To those of you who may be getting ready to go back to school as well, good luck! **

* * *

**Fate****  
**

**Chapter Forty One**

Following her parent's deaths, James suggested to Lily that perhaps they should put off the wedding. But she'd told him that they wouldn't have wanted their wedding delayed and so the planning continued. It was hard at first for her, but Lily was strong and was soon back on her feet.

In May, Remus came home one Saturday afternoon with a big grin on his face. When Sirius inquired as to what he was so happy about, Remus announced that he had finally had a job. He'd stumbled upon a tiny bookshop about twenty minutes from their flat. It looked privately owned and a bit run-down to be looking to hire, but Remus had stepped inside to take a look, never one to pass up the opportunity to explore a book store. The books inside were old and dust covered and behind a counter, an elderly woman had greeted him. They had begun talking and she had mentioned that it would be nice if she had someone to help out to keep it tidy since she really couldn't do it herself anymore. Remus would have loved to offer, but he figured she could not afford to pay him and he needed to find a job that could support him. But it was not long after that she also mentioned that she had more money than she knew what to do with and that the book shop was a hobby. So he had mentioned that he was looking for a job, and the woman had jumped on it, offering him a salary that would be about what he had been making at his previous job. Excitement had surged through him, but guiltily, he explained that he sometimes feel ill, more often than others, and that was what had caused him to lose his previous job. She had waved him off, kindly telling him that she had gone this long without help. She could go without on the days that he was ill. Dazed and feeling as if it were too good to be true, they had made arrangements for him to begin on Monday. By the time he arrived home, he could no longer contain his excitement. He never imagined finding such a job. Sirius was ecstatic to say the least, and he insisted that they celebrate, and that night, he and Samantha took Remus out to dinner. Remus insisted they didn't have to, but he went along nonetheless.

The closer the wedding became, the more stressed Lily was. Even though they had been planning the wedding for several months, it seemed there was still so much to do at the last moment. Her wedding robes were not even ready until the day before and when she tried them on they a tad too big. She nearly had a meltdown, fueled by James nearly seeing her in the dress when he heard her. But an hour later, Samantha had brought Nichole over, who was rather handy at such things. Adrien's wife had managed to fix the robes so that they fit perfectly, and between her and Samantha, they managed to calm the bride down and assure her that everything would be alright.

The ceremony was beautiful, held in a small church not far from James's childhood home. Sirius was the best man, and he wore a grin as he stood by James's side at the altar. Samantha was Lily's maid-of-honor (and only bridesmaid for that matter), and after she reached the altar, she turned as Lily made her way down the aisle, looking radiant in her simple white dress robes. But Samantha did not watch Lily. She watched James, and smiled when his face transformed when he caught side of his bride. She was glad to see him happy. It was good to see smiles in the midst of the past few months.

After the ceremony, the wedding party stayed behind for pictures while the guests moved to the Potter home. Lily wanted a reception outside, but with the unpredictable weather, it was not guaranteed to not rain, so Grace had suggested they hold the reception at her home. That way, if the weather did not cooperate, the party could be held inside. Luckily, it was not raining, but it looked as if it could later. Grace stayed behind with the photographer. She wanted to make sure plenty of pictures were taken to remember the day.

"I can't believe they've actually gotten married."

"You're just still mad you lost those five galleons."

Sirius shot Remus a glare. "Of course I am. When I made that bet, I thought I was sure to win."

"You bet on whether or not James would marry Lily?"

Cringing at Samantha's incredulous voice, Sirius quickly shook his head. "Of course not. We were just joking."

"He's lying," Remus told her, voice flat.

That earned Remus another glare, but Samantha just rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know. He's a terrible liar."

Sirius gave her a lopsided grin and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer and planting a kiss on her cheek. She frowned at him, but her eyes were dancing. He propped his chin up on her shoulder, and they turned their attention back to James and Lily, who had just finished their first dance as husband and wife. They had started the dance after Sirius had given his best man speech, in which he had successfully made the two of them turn red. Now, a new song was starting and guests were joining them on the dance floor.

"Now," Sirius said when the couple all but disappeared in the crowd that had joined their dancing, "We can bet on how long it's going to last." When Samantha jabbed him in the stomach, he grunted. "I'm joking," he told her, though he winked at Remus and Peter. Peter grinned in response, but Remus only shook his head.

"You look so beautiful," James murmured in Lily's ear as they swayed on the dance floor.

Lily smiled and tugged on his dress robes to pull him closer. "So you've told me. Several times."

"No word can possibly describe how breathtakingly lovely you are. So I just have to tell you over and over again."

Lily rolled her eyes, but her smile remained. "You promised you wouldn't say anything cheesy today," she chastised gently.

James shrugged and grinned. "I can't help it."

Lily shook her head and lay her head on his shoulder. But a moment later, something caught her eye and she jerked her head back up, coming to an abrupt stop.

"Oh my…"

James frowned and turned just as his wife pulled away from him and moved quickly away. His eyes landed on her just as she embraced a girl with blonde hair, though he could not see her face. But he easily recognized the boy with curly red hair beside them. A smile slowly spread across his face, and he began to move forward, but then changed his mind and turned, seeking out the table his friends were seated at. When he caught sight of them, he made his way toward them. Sirius seemed to be teasing Samantha. Normally he would have joined him, but instead, when he reached them, he only grabbed hold of her arm and said, "Come with me."

She looked surprised when James pulled her out of her chair. "What are you doing?"

"Just come on," he replied, dragging her towards where Lily had gone.

"If this is your way of asking me to dance, you really need to work on that."

James ignored her now, and pulled her through the crowd. Lily was in sight then, and he could now see who she had been embracing. Grinning, he pulled Samantha in front of him and pushed her forward. A moment later, he had to cover his ears from the squealing that sounded from the three girls.

"Oh my God," Samantha exclaimed as she wrapped her arms tightly around Amber's neck. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Neither did I," Lily spoke up, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"I'm sorry we didn't make it to the ceremony," Amber apologized as she pulled away from Samantha. "We tried."

Lily waved her off. "You're here now."

Sirius arrived then, curious as to why James had drug his girlfriend away. He was surprised to see Amber and gave her a hug before he clapped Mason on the back. He hadn't seen his once fellow beater since Mason had left Hogwarts. Not long after, Sirius and James led Mason back to the table where Remus and Peter were and left the three girls alone to talk.

"We would have been here sooner," Mason explained after he had greeted Remus and Peter, "But we had to drop our things off."

"You came from Paris, right?" Remus questioned.

"Where are you going next?" Peter asked after Mason nodded.

"Actually," he ran a hand through his curly hair, "We've just rented a small loft in London. We're going to live here a while."

James gave him an excited grin and began to ask questions, most of which Mason had honestly not thought through yet. Amber had just given Lily and Samantha the same news and though they were just as excited, they held off on the questions.

"It will be good to have you back," Samantha told her. "It's been quiet without you."

"I find that hard to believe," Amber replied dryly. "You've still got the Marauders."

"Don't remind us," Lily said. "We try to spread out the times they're all together. Poor Sam has to live with two of them, though."

Samantha shrugged. "Remus isn't as bad as them. He helps me keep Sirius in line."

"Am I interrupting anything?"

Samantha turned at the familiar voice and smiled.

"Amber, this is Fabian, a good friend of mine. Amber's a friend from school."

Fabian withdrew his hand from the pocket of his robes to shake her hand. "A pleasure."

Lily did not miss the way Amber eyed the older man and when Fabian had turned his attention back to Samantha, she elbowed her in the ribs.

"I see living with Mason hasn't changed you much," she teased, soft enough so that only Amber would hear.

Amber shrugged. "There's no harm in looking, is there?"

"I was hoping to ask you to dance," Fabian told Samantha. "That is, if your friends don't mind."

When Lily and Amber waved them off, Samantha grinned and took Fabian's offered arm. When they reached the other dancers, he placed a hand on her waist, taking up her hand with the other. Her hand moved to her shoulder.

"It's quite a party Lily and James have thrown," he observed as they spun to the medium-tempo music. "How is she, by the way?"

Samantha shrugged. "She's alright, considering. She has her moments still when she'll show up at my door close to tears. James wanted to delay the wedding, but she didn't so she's been trying to act better around him."

"Perhaps not the best way to start off a marriage."

"True. But she didn't want the wedding postponed. Planning it offered her distraction, anyway. Now that they're married, she'll likely talk to him about it. She just came to me because she knew I could relate the most."

Fabian studied her for a moment before he spoke again. "And how are you?"

She was taken aback by the question and shook her head. "It's been a long time ago, now."

"Time may make the pain less fresh, but it doesn't lessen it any."

She was silent for a long moment before she said, "It's hard sometimes. Especially holidays. But Sirius is always there."

Fabian smiled at that. "And when can I expect your wedding?"

It was a genuine question, but she could not help but laugh. "Not anytime soon. But perhaps one day."

Across the room, James was shaking his head. "I can't believe you're dating Amber. I thought I'd never see the day when she started a committed relationship."

"Once, I would have said the same about Sirius," Mason replied.

Sirius shrugged and grinned. "I was young. I didn't know any better."

James snorted. "It's not been two years since you were whoring around with Morgan Devereux."

"Shut up, Prongs."

"Have you even spoken to her since Hogwarts?" Peter asked.

Before Sirius could reply, Remus shook his head. "Sam wouldn't allow it."

"Not that I want to," Sirius snapped, shooting Remus a look. "I'm going to go find Sam," he grumbled, his gaze moving to where he had left her with Amber and Lily as he stood. He frowned when he found her gone. He moved his gaze around the room, searching her out. When he found her, he dropped back down into his seat with a low growl.

"What is it?" James asked, turning in his chair to follow his gaze. When his eyes found Samantha, he turned back around with a laugh. "Your jealousy is showing, Padfoot."

"I'm not jealous," Sirius hissed between clenched teeth.

Peter snorted. "No. Of course you aren't."

"Stuff it, Wormtail."

"They're just dancing," Remus pointed out.

Sirius's narrowed eyes were carefully watching the couple dancing together. "He always goes out of his way to talk to her. And now this. I don't like it."

"Yes, we can see that, Padfoot."

A chuckle sounded from behind Sirius, and he reluctantly turned his gaze to see who it was. Gideon stood there, a glass of wine in his hand. His gaze was on his younger brother and he was smiling. "I think you worry a bit too much," he told Sirius, glancing down to look at him.

Sirius's face dropped instantly into a scowl. "Your brother constantly flirts with my girlfriend and you think I'm worrying too much?"

The redhead shook his head, not concerned by Sirius's tone of voice. "He was close to her father. We both were. He didn't really know her before Brennan's death, not personally at least, but I think now he feels as if he has to look out for her for him." He smile broadened. "Plus, he can see how much it gets to you."

Sirius frowned. "So he's doing it to get to me on purpose?" There was a bite to his voice now. He did not like being made a fool of.

"Only partly," Gideon explained. "Mostly, he's only checking up on her. He sees her as a little sister of sorts."

"Her father introduced them at that Christmas party. He was introducing her to suitors that night."

"I remember him telling me about that," Gideon mused. "But he told me she was already taken."

"We weren't together at the time," Sirius informed him, leaning back in his chair, his arms crossing over his chest.

The older man shrugged. "That doesn't always mean anything." With a nod, he strode off into the crowd.

Sirius grumbled under his breath, his gaze searching the dance floor once more. He stood from his chair and strode towards where Samantha and Fabian were dancing. He cleared his throat to catch their attention.

"Can I interrupt?" he asked.

Fabian nodded with a grin, releasing Samantha and stepping back. Sirius took his place just as a slower song began. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her against him. She placed a hand on his upper arm, her head coming to rest on his opposite shoulder. Fabian had moved away by then and was dancing with Marlene McKinnon.

They were silent for a while, lost in the music. But then Samantha's head shifted against his shoulder.

"Are you jealous of Fabian?"

He glanced down to find her looking up at him. He moved his gaze away.

"Of course not," he muttered.

She smiled. "You're a terrible liar."

"Hm." He could not keep a smile off of his face. "You've already told me that once tonight."

"Because it's true." She dropped her gaze. "You don't have to worry about that sort of thing."

His arms tightened around her and he bowed his head into her hair. "I know," he replied.

They spent a good portion of the rest of the evening dancing. By the time they left later that night, their feet were aching, particularly Samantha's as she was wearing highly uncomfortable shoes to begin with. They laughed together as Sirius carried her into their building on his back. Remus followed behind, his head shaking at them. It had been a wonderful day, and just this once, they had been able to forget completely about the war.

* * *

James and Lily did not travel for a honeymoon after their wedding. They did not want to go anywhere while there was a war still going on. Mostly it was because they did not want to miss anything in the Order. But another reason was that the war was beginning to spread. Their country was still the main target, but a few followers had emerged in other European countries. Travel was not as safe as it once was, and they felt it best to stay where they were.

Another reason was because two weeks after the wedding, James's and Sirius's initial Auror training was over, and if James had gone away, he would have fallen behind. Before they became full Aurors, they had to complete a year under a mentor, but instead of training all day, they would now be going out into the field, and also doing the very unexciting paperwork that went with the job. They would just be under the supervision of their mentors and would go nowhere without them. James's mentor was Adrian, a surprise since Adrian had only been a full Auror for a year. But the head Auror had decided he was ready. He had the potential to be as great an Auror as his father, and he would be a great mentor. Sirius, to his surprise, would be mentoring under Alastor. James had always told him he liked him, but Sirius had never had cause to believe it. Until now at least. Adrian warned him how tough Moody was, but that he'd come out with no doubts that he was ready.

Sirius quickly learned that Adrian was truthful, that working under the head Auror was going to be difficult and exhausting. Since he was in charge, he seemed to work twice as hard as anyone else, and Sirius was expected to be at his side for the majority of it. He still was often kept late, and even when he was, more likely than not, he was sent home with paperwork to complete. If an emergency arose in the middle of the night, Moody would not hesitate to call him in, and Sirius had no choice but to drag himself out of bed and go wherever it was that he was needed. He quickly grew stressed because of his schedule, but he tried his best not to show it.

Midway through July, Sirius was still trying to adjust to his schedule, but it was so irregular that it was near impossible to do so. It was nearly nine o'clock one evening when he made his way into his building. Samantha would have already eaten and his dinner would be in the oven to be kept warm for whenever he made it home. Remus was working late that night to make up for the two days he had missed earlier in the month because of the full moon, and Sirius had hoped to make it home early to spend some time with Samantha, but of course, that hadn't happened.

As he slipped through the door to the building, he stepped around two women who were making their way out. He slowed his pace as something they said caught his attention. One of them, whom he recognized from further down the hallway on their floor, was complaining about some sort of alarm that had been going off half an hour before. As she said it was a sound she'd never quite heard before, Sirius quickened his pace, slamming the door of the stairwell open, taking the stairs two at a time. One of the protective charms they had around their flat was an alarm to alert them if anyone with a dark mark stepped onto their floor. He could not think of what else the woman would have heard.

He burst into the second floor hallway, his heart beating frantically. He slid his wand out of his robes, and paused outside of their door. There didn't seem to be any sign of a forced entry, but that did not mean anything. But it could mean he was overreacting. Trying the knob and finding it unlocked, he swung the door open and strode into the flat. At first, all his eyes caught sight of was Samantha, seated on the sofa, and he relaxed. But then a movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. A person was standing beside the bookshelf, the hood of their cloak up. Their arms were crossed across their chest, their head bowed. He could now see how stiffly Samantha was sitting, her hands folded into her lap and her eyes glued to the wall.

He froze and opened his mouth to speak, his wand up, but before he could utter a sound, the intruder lifted their head and slipped the hood off. For a moment, Sirius was too dumbfounded to say anything.

"Regulus?" He recovered then and anger replaced his confusion. "What the hell are you doing? You can't just barge into my home."

Regulus shrugged, not seeming concerned. "I was going to knock when I got here, wait to be invited in. But then that damn alarm started going off. So I let myself in and made your little witch silence it before it caught the wrong person's attention."

"Made…" He glanced at Samantha, silently asking her if she was alright. She nodded slightly and he turned his attention back to his brother. "I haven't spoken to you in over a year and you think you're free to barge into my home whenever you feel like it? What gives you the right?" His anger had crept into his voice and his tone was biting.

Regulus cocked his head to the side. The innocent look upon his face may have been more convincing if there hadn't been a condescending undertone to it. "What? I'm not allowed to pay a visit to my older brother?"

"Don't bullshit me, Regulus. We both know this isn't a social call." He stepped closer. "Are you here on orders? Does your master feel threatened by me?"

Regulus was perhaps the one person who didn't cower from Sirius when he was angry. Instead, he snorted. "Don't flatter yourself. And besides. If I was here on orders, she'd," he nodded at Samantha, "Already be dead."

In three long strides, Sirius was grabbing hold of the front of his brother's robes and slamming him roughly into the bookcase behind him. The shelves rocked under the force, spilling several books to the floor. Sirius pressed the tip of his wand into his brother's throat. Samantha rose to her feet, her face worried.

"Why are you here?" Sirius growled dangerously.

"I already told you." Regulus's face was still impassive, but his voice was strained from the position he was currently in.

"And what makes you think I want to hear anything you have to say?"

A smirk spread across Regulus's lips. "Because I know you. You'll want to know what's so important that I risked coming here."

Sirius regarded his brother for a long moment before he slowly released him, taking a couple of small steps back. His wand remained trained on Regulus, who was straightening his robes.

"What is it then?"

The younger Black shook his head. "You're demanding information without having offered me tea? Your manners have suffered. Mother would be appalled."

Sirius stared hard at his younger brother for a long moment before he caught Samantha's eye and nodded. As she passed by, Sirius placed his hand on her back and moved with her. When Regulus made to follow, Sirius pointed at him. "You stay there," he said firmly.

Sirius waited until Samantha had filled the kettle with water and had it heating on the stove before he spoke.

"Are you alright?" His voice was concerned, and soft enough so that his brother could not hear. Regulus didn't seem to be trying to eavesdrop. He had his back to them, his hands shoved in his pockets as he studied the titles of their books. Sirius noticed he'd made no effort to pick up those that had fallen.

She nodded. "I'm fine. He scared me more than anything. Though I have to admit, I was almost relieved when I saw it was him."

Sirius had felt the same way. Though he wasn't pleased to see him, his brother was a much better visitor than any other death eater. "So he didn't…hurt you? He said he made you turn off the alarm."

"With threats, nothing else. Though he took my wand after."

Despite himself, Sirius sighed. "You seem to be making a habit of losing your wand to death eaters."

Samantha smacked him on the shoulder as she moved to get three cups for the tea. At that point, the water was ready and Sirius quickly prepared the tea. He handed Samantha hers before picking up his own and Regulus's. Regulus turned around as the made their way back to him, and handing him his cup of tea, Sirius motioned for him to sit in the arm chair. He sat with Samantha on the couch, making sure to sit closest to his brother.

"First thing's first," Sirius said, his voice sharp. "Give me her wand back."

Smirking, Regulus slid the wand out of his robes. "What's wrong, Sirius? Mad I got the upper hand over your witch?"

"I would hardly call you breaking into our home a fair way to gain the upper hand," Sirius snapped, snatching the offered wand out of his brother's grasp and setting it much more gently in Samantha's lap. When her hand moved on top of the wand, he lay his on top of it, squeezing it gently. "Care to tell me why you felt the need to break into our home?"

But Regulus's attention was on their entwined hands. "Mother will be quite disappointed that the two of you are together again. I'm sure she'll be hoping you'll mess the relationship up a second time."

Sirius knew better than to try and ask how Regulus knew anything about that. "Then she'll be disappointed to know that we're to be married." He didn't know why he said it, but he relished at the thought of his mother hearing the news.

Regulus's eyebrows rose. "Really?" His eyes darted down to Samantha's left hand. "I see no ring."

Sirius shrugged. "It's being refitted."

"And when is this so-called wedding? I'm sure mother and father would love to attend."

This question had been directed at Samantha and Sirius had no choice but to stay silent.

"After our training has been completed. The date isn't set yet."

She lied so smoothly, Sirius could have kissed her. But Regulus still looked suspicious.

"Well, when the date is known, be sure to send an invitation. It's sure to put mother in a state, her eldest son marring a blood traitor."

"Don't you start," Sirius warned sharply.

"Why? You know it's true. Once, you'd listen so intently as mother explained to you about families such as hers, told you how much they were poison to the pureblood name."

"I didn't know any better."

"Perhaps I _should_ have killed her. It was a perfect opportunity. And the Dark Lord would have rewarded me greatly since she was supposed to die along with the rest of them." He spat the words, disgusted.

Sirius was on his feet in an instant. "Get out," he roared, pointing at the door, his eyes darkening in anger. "Get the hell out of my home."

Regulus's eyes narrowed, but he set his tea down on the coffee table and rose. "You don't even want to hear what I have to say?"

"I don't give a _damn_ what you have to say. You will _not_ speak like that in my company and especially not in hers. Get. Out."

The smirk was back on Regulus's face, but he did not speak until he reached the door. He paused before he opened it and turned back around. "I'll give your love to mother for you."

"You can give my love to Voldemort for all I care," Sirius shouted as Regulus slipped out with a slam of the door.

Silence filled the flat after Regulus's departure. Sirius was glaring furiously at the door. Samantha's hands were in her lap and she fiddled with her wand. She was the one to break the silence.

"Maybe you should have listened to what he had to say," she said quietly.

Sirius whirled around to face her, his anger melting into a look of astonishment. "Did you hear what he just said?" The anger was still in his voice.

"I did," she replied. "And I think perhaps he was saying those things because he was scared to ask whatever he deemed important enough to come by."

Sirius had a biting retort on the tip of his tongue, but he hesitated as what she said sunk in. "You think he was here for my help?"

She shrugged. "That's what it seemed like to me."

The anger was back instantly. "Well, if he wanted my help, he shouldn't have talked to me that way. He can go to mum or one of his death eater friends if he needs help so much."

There was a finality that said that was the end of the conversation. Samantha did not push the subject.

Sirius was in a foul mood for the rest of the night. He banged his silverware around as he ate what had been left for him in the oven. When Remus came home and asked what was wrong, all he got was a muttered answer that told him nothing. Samantha mouthed 'tomorrow' at him from across the room when she received a questioning glance.

It was not until later that night in their bed that Sirius spoke of what had happened again.

"Those things he said to you…" He trailed a finger down her arm, a troubled look upon his face that was different from the ire that had been there for the rest of the night.

She shook her head before he could finish. "Sirius, I've never listened to anything your family has said to or about me. Why should I start now?"

His worry did not go away. "But-"

With a sigh, she cut him off with a kiss. "Stop worrying about me," she told him when she pulled away. "I'm alright."

He nodded and managed to give her a small smile.

"Alright."

He pulled her close for another kiss, and though his worry did not go away, he did not speak of it again.

* * *

Over the next few days, Sirius was more quick tempered than usually, especially if anything was brought up that reminded him of his brother in any way. So Samantha and Remus, who had been filled in on what had happened by Samantha the next morning, were careful to not bring anything up that would set him off. But by the time a week had passed, everything was back to normal, and it was as if it had never happened.

The next Thursday afternoon, a week and a day after Regulus's visit, found Sirius stuck at his desk filling out paperwork for Moody, who had not had the time. Why his mentor thought Sirius, who had to pretty much go everywhere the head Auror went, had more time was beyond him, but he couldn't very well argue. While Moody was in his spacious office in a meeting, Sirius was crammed in the tiny cubical space he was given, grumbling as he shifted through the stack of papers, trying to make sense of it all. Mad Eye was not the most organized person.

Sirius briefly wondered if he would make it home at a decent time that evening. It was just after lunch, and all Sirius had to do was this paperwork. If nothing else came up, he might just get out of there on time. It would be the first time all week.

"Excuse me."

Sirius glanced up at the familiar voice. Emilia Wilbourn stood in the entrance of his cubical. She was small and blonde and though she worked in the Auror offices, she was far from one. The thought was laughable. Not because Sirius doubted her skills, but just because she was not from the type. She was cheerful and far too kind to ever cast a harmful spell, even at a death eater. She was one of three-another witch and a wizard- who handled the paperwork after it was filled out, listened to and announced reports of attacks, and, as he saw now by what was in her hand, delivered any letters that may come to the office. She had one in her hand now, and Sirius could see his name written in elegant handwriting that he dreaded to see on the envelope.

"This came for you, Sirius."

She gave him a smile, holding out the letter. Thanking her with a wink, Sirius took the letter and listened to her walk away as he turned his chair so that his back was to the entrance of his cubical, the only privacy he could get here.

"What do you want?" he muttered as he tore the letter open. He realized soon enough and a numbness quickly spread through his body. For a while, all he did was sit there and stare at that letter, wondering if perhaps he'd read it wrong. But it was still the same when he read it again. He suddenly found himself unable to breathe. Was it guilt? He already knew this was his fault.

He tried to fold the letter back up, but his hands were shaking too hard. Giving up, he just stuffed it into his robes and pushed his chair back roughly as he stood. He had to get out of there. He did not know where to go at first, but the answer came to him when his eyes glanced over the photograph of Samantha he kept on his desk. Samantha. She would tell him what to do. She would reassure him. Maybe when he got there, she'd read the letter and tell him that he somehow had read it wrong.

St. Mungo's was not far from the Ministry. Somehow, Sirius got out without running into anyone. He might have lost control if he did. He was barely holding on now as he strode into the lobby of the hospital. He'd have to ask where to find her and he hoped he could manage at least that.

"Can I help you?" the welcome witch asked as he stopped in front of her desk.

"I'm looking for one of the trainees. Samantha Dawson. Can you tell me where she is?"

The witch frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, but visitors aren't permitted for the trainees."

Sirius considered telling her it was an emergency. He almost did. But then he thought better of it. He didn't want to disturb her. Just missing that afternoon could put her behind. He hadn't thought it through before he had come.

"Thanks anyway, then," Sirius said before he turned to leave. He'd almost made it out of the lobby when he heard his name. He turned to find Lily, who had just handed a potion to a waiting patient, moving towards him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, looking confused.

Sirius shrugged. "I was looking for Sam." He was fighting hard to keep his face and voice normal at this point. "I forgot trainees weren't allowed visitors."

"Oh." Lily was looking at him closely, and her lips began to turn down in a slight frown.

Sirius began to back away. He didn't want her to start to ask questions. He did not think he could hold on anymore if she did. A voice in his head told him he could talk to her. He'd been the one who Lily had first told about her parents' deaths. She would listen to him. But he couldn't bring himself to.

"I'll just see her at home tonight," he said, his voice as unconcerned as he could make it. "It was good to see you."

"You, too," Lily said, slightly confused, as Sirius turned and strode off.

Lily kept the encounter with Sirius in the back of her mind for the rest of the day, but she was busy, and did not have a moment to seek out Samantha. Luckily, they ended up leaving the building at the same time, and Lily mentioned her odd talk with Sirius as they paused on the sidewalk.

"Really?" Samantha asked, surprised. "That doesn't sound like him."

"Something seemed…wrong," Lily told her. "I was afraid to ask, but I wish I had. Do you think he's okay?"

Samantha was silent for a moment as she mulled over anything that had happened recently that could have Sirius upset. The only thing she could think of was Regulus's out-of-the-blue visit, how it had seemed to her like he had wanted his older brother's help.

"I'm not sure," she replied slowly. "But I should go check. Hopefully he's gone home now."

Lily wished her luck and told her to be sure to let her know if everything was alright as soon as she got a chance. Promising that she would, Samantha was quick to disapperate home. She glanced around for Remus as she strode up to their building. Often, they would arrive home around the same time and walk in together. She could have used his assurances and level head right now. So of course, he was nowhere to be seen.

She quickly made her way into the building and up to the second floor. She unlocked the door and was about to open it when there came a crash from inside the flat. Her heart skipped a beat and for a moment, she wondered what to do. But then she heard Sirius let out a shout, followed by another loud crash, and rational thought was gone as she flung the door open and raced into the flat.

The scene was not what she was expecting.

Books from the shelves were strewn about, the coffee table was turned over. Stepping further inside, she stepped on something that crunched on her feet and looking down, she saw that she was standing on a shattered bit of her dinnerware. Sirius was by the table. The first crash had likely been the pot that was sitting at her feet. The chair lying by the sofa had probably been the second. Sirius stood in the kitchen, looking more murderous than she had ever seen him before.

"Sirius!" she exclaimed when she saw more shattered remains of her dinnerware. She doubted he'd left a single plate in the cabinets. His furious gaze turned to her. He was shaking as he labored for breath, and his grey eyes were dark with anger. "What are you doing?"

He stared at her for just a moment. "Do you know what he did?" His voice was an angry roar, and Samantha flinched as Sirius turned to the counter and swept everything near him to the floor, including several tea cups that she had left sitting out that morning.

"Who?" she managed to stammer out, unable to stop herself from taking a step back. She knew that when Sirius lost his temper, he tended to act irrationally. She had never encountered it first-hand. Though he had a quick temper, it took something big to set him off like this.

He shook his head heatedly. "He made his choice. It was his choice. I told him it was the wrong one, but he wouldn't listen to me!"

She ducked as a book that had been on the counter flew over her head.

"Told me it was an honor! Told me it made mum proud! I'll bet mum wished her precious son had never heard of the Dark Lord now that he's gone and gotten himself killed!"

Another chair was knocked roughly to the floor.

"He was a coward!"

Her eyes wide, Samantha took a tentative step forward. "Sirius…"

"He couldn't handle it, I'll bet. I told him he wasn't like them. But he didn't listen to me. Then he got himself in too deep and tried to run away. Voldemort doesn't like traitors and he got himself killed for it. And he came to me for help! He didn't know what to do, so he came to me! And what did I do? I threw him out! I wouldn't even listen to him!"

Another chair. It hit the wall so hard, it left a large mark. That was when Samantha finally moved towards him. He was moving to the remaining chair and she stepped in front of him, grabbing hold of his forearms. He fought against her, his glare focusing on her.

"Let me go, Sam."

His voice was quieter now.

She shook her head. "It's not your fault, Sirius."

"You don't understand," he shouted. "Let me go!"

"Sirius!"

He began to twist out of her grip, and she held on until pain shot through her wrist when it was bent back by the force he was using to break free. When she cried out softly and withdrew her hand, Sirius froze, realizing what he had done.

"Sam…"

But then her hands rose, moving to rest on either side of his neck, her fingers brushing against his cheeks. She held his head in place and stared into his eyes. "It's not your fault," she told him softly. "He made his own choice."

"If I hadn't left home-"

"He would have made his own choice either way, Sirius. You wouldn't have been able to stop him, just like you weren't able to when you realized what he had done last year."

All of the anger seemed to drain out of Sirius then and he stared at her as he slowly sank to the floor, exhausted. Samantha moved with him and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him as he pressed his face against her neck.

"I should have listened to him last week," Sirius murmured against her neck. "But I kicked him out before he could tell me."

One of her hands moved to his hair, her fingers brushing through it softly. "You didn't know. You couldn't have known what was happening. If he'd wanted your help, he shouldn't have said what he did."

Sirius nodded, because it was true. Samantha was surprised to feel tears against her neck. In the years she had gone to school with him, had been friends with him, had dated him, she had never seen Sirius Black cry. But he did now, first silently and then he began to shake as sobs racked his body. Closing her eyes, Samantha wrapped the hand that was not in his hair tightly around him. There in the kitchen, surrounded by the wreckage of their belongings, she held him as he mourned for his younger brother.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	42. Chapter Forty Two

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**So sorry this took so long! School's been busy from the start, and on top of that, I've been highly uninspired lately so at times I did have time to write, I ended up staring blankly at the document. Also, I'm trying to make the chapters a little longer since this story is getting so long and we still have a ways to go. So the wait may be longer but at least the chapters are as well. I would have liked to add a little more to this one but I decided you guys have waited long enough. The good news is I'm getting close to stuff that I've been looking forward to reworking from my old version of this story, so I'm hoping to churn those out a little faster. But we'll see. It's still a few chapters away probably. So just remember, even if updates spread out, I do not plan on abandoning this story.**

**As a side note, I just joined A03, which is another fanfiction site if you have not heard of it. I'm uploading my story there as well, under the same title and penname, in case any of you are over there and interested. Only the first chapter is up so far and it will be awhile before I catch it up to this one. But updates over here won't be effected. It's more of a security since this site has been known to delete stories and though I don't plan on giving them a reason to, you never know. **

**Also, I only skimmed this for mistakes. I really should be studying but I wanted to get this up. So if you see any that really bother you, feel free to let me know and I'll fix it immediately. Ack, sorry for the long note. **

**As always, thanks to both my reviewers and silent readers!**

**Warning: Character Deaths**

* * *

****Fate

Chapter Forty Two

That was how Remus found them when he arrived home from work.

He was surprised, and at first, all he could do was stand in the middle of the room and stare. When he did finally step closer, Samantha heard his footsteps and glanced up. At his questioning look, she shook her head and he nodded before turning away. He focused his attention instead on the disarray of the flat and began to pick up the fallen books.

Eventually, Sirius fell silent and after he wiped his eyes, he pulled away from her. As his eyes met hers, she brushed her fingers against his neck. He closed his eyes at her touch and leaned forward, pressing his forehead to hers. He stayed that way until he was able to compose himself more, and then he pulled away and pushed himself to his feet, pulling Samantha up with him. She squeezed his hand and then nodded and let go as he muttered something about taking a shower.

After he had disappeared down the hall and into their bedroom, Samantha sighed heavily and turned to Remus, who was turning the coffee table back over and sliding it back into place. He glanced up as she stepped closer, a concerned look upon his face.

"What happened?" he asked quietly as they heard the shower shut on.

"Regulus is dead," she replied, her voice soft and worn. Remus frowned deeply at the news, running a hand through his hair. "He got the news this afternoon. When I got home I found him tearing apart the flat."

She turned and slipped her wand out of her robes, waving it and repairing one of the shattered dishes.

Remus sighed. "Does James know?"

Samantha shook her head. "No. I ought to send him a message."

And so she did, via her patronus. Afterwards, she and Remus finished straightening up the flat. Sirius never reemerged from the bedroom, even after they heard the shower turn off. They left him alone, but eventually, Samantha wandered in for bed. He was buried under the covers and she assumed he was asleep. But when she slid into the bed after changing, his head moved under the blankets to rest on her stomach, one of his arms draping over her to grasp her hand. She sighed as she settled against her pillows, moving her other hand to rest upon his back. He fell asleep that way, or so she assumed. He did not move for the rest of the night, but she was not sure how much sleep he actually got. She hoped at least a little.

Sirius stayed home from work for three days.

The first, he did not get out of bed, not once. Even when James and Peter came by to check on him. Samantha tried, sitting beside him on the bed and attempting to talk him into coming out. But he would not speak and did not even move out from under the covers to look at her. She let him be.

The second was the day of Regulus's funeral. When Samantha woke, she found the bed deserted. When she wandered into the kitchen, she found Sirius seated at the table, staring at the letter his mother had sent her. He told her he wanted to go to his brother's funeral, but he did not want to have to face his family. When she offered to go with him, he turned her down. He did not want her anywhere near his family. And this felt like something he had to do alone. He ended up leaving late for the funeral and watching from across the cemetery. Only when everyone else was gone did he approach his brother's grave. He blamed himself for his brother's death, and he told Regulus as much, hoping he could hear him, hear the sorrow in his voice that said what he did not- that he wished he had never kicked his brother out that day he'd come to him. When Sirius returned home, Samantha had a glass of firewhiskey ready for him.

Sirius was a bit more like himself by the third day. He'd considered going back to work that day, but Samantha talked him into taking one more day. He did not do much, just sat around the flat. But he was out of bed and talking, and he ate the food Samantha gave him. He was trying hard to now put it behind him.

He returned to work the next day. The work was good for him. It kept him busy and his mind off of other things. His mentor gave him plenty of paperwork to keep him busy, and when he was not as his desk filling it out, he was either responding to an attack or training one-on-one with Moody. He buried himself in it, glad from the distraction. When there was not something to distract him, he sought them out, offering to help someone else with whatever they needed done. Anything to keep his mind busy.

This kept up for over a month. No matter what, Sirius made sure he always had something to keep himself busy at work. He got to where he would not even really take a break for lunch, eating while he sat at his desk and filled out whatever paperwork he could get his hands on. He came home late nearly every night, some nights after Samantha was already asleep in bed, and when he could, he found a reason to work Saturdays. The work was doing its job. It was keeping him from thinking too much. But he seemed to be the only one who did not notice how tense, how tightly wound he was. He became quick tempered, quick to snap if someone interrupted him. But no one at work had the heart to make him stop.

Late one Friday evening, Sirius stepped inside the flat. His whole body ached, and though a part of him wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed, he headed straight into the kitchen to pour himself what had become his nightly glass of firewhiskey. There was food waiting for him in the oven and he pulled that out as well. He did not even notice Samantha seated in the armchair, a book in her lap, until he turned to sit at the table.

"Where's Remus?" he asked shortly by way of greeting.

Samantha glanced up from her book. "He's already gone to bed."

Sirius nodded and did not speak again as he turned his attention to the food on his plate. Suppressing a sigh, Samantha turned her attention back to her book. Silence filled the room, disrupted only by the sound of Sirius's fork scraping against the plate. He did not speak again until he had finished eating and was slowly sipping his firewhiskey to finish it off.

"I'm going into work in the morning."

She did sigh then and shut her book. "Sirius, it's Saturday tomorrow."

He shrugged. "I've got a lot of stuff to do."

She was well aware how much of what Sirius had to do was by his choice. James was quick to let her know everything going on in Sirius's work life these days. She stood and made her way over to him. When she reached him, she lightly placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Perhaps you should take a day off," she suggested gently. "You can't keep going like this."

His voice was sarcastic and condescending when he replied. "Well, in case you haven't noticed, Samantha, we're in a war. And wars don't just 'take a day off' whenever the hell they feel like it."

She stiffened at his words and released his shoulders, taking several steps back. "I have noticed," she said rigidly. "But even my father knew he had to take a day off every now and then."

Sirius snorted, standing with his now empty glass. "And how did that work out for him?"

Her breath caught in her throat. In two strides, she was standing before him and before he knew what was happening, her hand drew back and struck him on the side of the face. His head turned at the force of it, the glass slipping from his hand in his shock and shattering at their feet.

"My father," she shouted, "Knew how to keep work and home separate. And he knew when to take time off so that it wouldn't strain things between his family!"

She brushed past him, striding towards the bedroom. Sirius recovered from his shock and was quick to turn and follow her.

"Then it's a good thing I don't have a family," he roared. "But when I do, I'll be sure to keep that in mind!"

"You ever having a family isn't bloody likely to happen," she shrieked as she stepped into their bedroom.

When Sirius made to step inside as well, a retort on his tongue, the door slammed loudly in his face. With a growl of frustration, he slammed his hands against the wood. "I could go out and find myself a girl who won't nag me and who would willingly marry me by the end of the night," he yelled, more to have the last word than anything else. His anger was already ebbing away, the guilt over what he had said to her settling in. She had not locked the door, and if she had he could have easily unlocked it with his wand, but instead of going inside, he stepped away and turned back towards the sitting room.

Remus was standing in the doorway of his bedroom, bleary eyed from sleep.

"Sorry," he muttered as he walked past.

"It's not me you ought to be saying that to," Remus told him, following him into the kitchen.

"I know, Moony," Sirius snapped, dropping beside the shattered glass and beginning to pick it up, trying not to cut himself. He winced at the harshness at his voice. "I know," he repeated more softly.

Remus sighed and waved his wand at the shards of glass. The glass repaired in Sirius's hand, and he stared at it for a long moment pensively.

"Why did I say that to her? I had no right."

"Because you've been an arse lately," Remus told him as he rose and placed the newly-repaired glass on the counter. "And the stress was bound to make you snap eventually. What started the fight anyway?"

Sirius was guilty enough to feel ashamed as he muttered, "She suggested I take a day off of work."

Rolling his eyes, Remus threw his hands up in the air. "How dare she."

"Shut up, Moony," Sirius said, turning around and leaning against the counter.

"What happened to your face?" The left side of Sirius's face was red.

"Sam slapped me," Sirius mumbled sheepishly, bringing a hand up to his cheek.

"Finally, someone who will stand up to you when you're mad."

Sirius sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair. "What should I do?"

Remus considered giving him a sarcastic answer. It was nothing more than he deserved. But he looked so lost, so worried, and he could not bring himself to. "Talk to her. It's all you can do."

He sighed again. "Now?"

A thoughtful look crossed Remus's face for a moment. "No," he said slowly, shaking his head. "I think you should leave her alone tonight. Talk to her in the morning. And just let her know how bad you feel. It wouldn't hurt to throw in that you're going to take a couple of days off of work, at least this weekend, and that you're going to slow down on the workload."

"I thought you were going to say that," Sirius said as he moved out of the kitchen. He was suddenly exhausted. Opening the coat closet beside the door, he pulled out the spare blanket and pillow they kept there in case someone ever needed to sleep on the couch. Tonight, that would be Sirius. As Sirius set the pillow down at one end of the couch and spread the blanket out, Remus took a few steps towards him.

"Sirius." When his attention turned to the werewolf, Remus continued to speak. "We've all been worried about you. But burying yourself in your work isn't going to help. It's just made things worse. I've never heard the two of you speak that way to each other. And she was just trying to help." Sirius's eyes were downcast as he listened. "But she was right. You do need to take some time off. At least don't take up extra work on the weekends. You know, we're here to talk whenever you need to. You don't have to hide behind work."

Sirius nodded, but was silent. He sat down on the couch and began to pull his shoes off. If he was tired when he got home, he was ready to drop now. Remus watched him for a moment before he turned to leave him alone to sleep. Sirius's voice stopped him at the entrance of the hallway.

"Thanks, Moony."

"Anytime, Padfoot," Remus replied with a smile before heading back to bed.

Sirius kicked his feet up on the sofa and pulled the blanket over him, shifting to try and get comfortable. He couldn't even remember the last time he had slept without Samantha by his side. At the thought of her, he felt another pang of guilt, and he wished he could take back everything he had said. But he'd have to wait until morning to talk to her. He could only hope she would forgive him. Sighing, he closed his eyes and fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

Sirius finally gave up trying to sleep early the next morning. He'd tossed and turned on the sofa all night. Any sleep he did get was light and short lived. He could not tell if his lack of sleep was the guilt he still felt or if it was simply because he could not remember the last night he had spent without Samantha by his side.

He sighed when he admitted defeat and swung his legs over the edge of the sofa, rubbing his tired eyes. Already, he was running words through his mind, trying to figure out what he was going to say to her. So far, he had nothing. Pushing himself to his feet, he moved into the kitchen. Perhaps a cup of tea would help him wake up. While he was up, he decided to make some toast. While moving to get a knife to spread jam over the bread, he opened the wrong drawer in his exhaustion, and found a pack of chocolate frogs that he had forgotten about. They had not been opened. He'd bought them for Samantha the day before he found out about his brother. After receiving the news, they had slipped his mind.

He pulled them out and ripped them open. Grabbing one, he opened the individual wrapper around it. He did not yet know what to say, but perhaps this would at least start him off right, or at least get her to come out of the room to talk. He carried the chocolate frog down the hall and silently opened the bedroom door. Samantha was still asleep, buried under the covers. Mica was curled up beside her and his head lifted for a moment when Sirius entered the room. At quietly as he could, Sirius approached the bed and set the frog on his pillow before slipping from the room.

He busied himself to pass the time. He cleaned the kitchen, read that morning's Prophet. Remus wandered from his room eventually, and when he asked Sirius if he had spoken to Samantha, Sirius had told him he was waiting for her to wake up. Remus had given him a dubious look.

"I think perhaps you should just go ahead," Remus told him when ten o'clock rolled around. Samantha rarely slept that late.

Sirius did not want to 'just go ahead'. The more he had put it off, the more he dreaded it.

"What if she doesn't forgive me?" he asked quietly, finally voicing what he had been thinking all morning. "I overstepped a line."

Remus shook his head. "You worry too much. Just talk to her."

It took a bit more to convince him, but not long after, Sirius was slipping back into their bedroom. Samantha was still asleep and Mica was as well, though he had moved to her other side. The chocolate frog was gone from the pillow and was instead on the bedside table. His heart sunk. He had hoped it would make her more willing to talk to him.

He approached the bed and sat down on the edge. He considered waking her up. But he thought that perhaps she was still sleeping because, like him, she had not gotten much sleep that night. And because of that, he could not bring himself to wake her.

Sitting there watching her sleep, the guilt became worse. He wished he had a time turner so that he could stop himself from saying what he did, from getting angry at all. Looking back, he was not sure why he had even been so angry. He thought maybe he was more angry at himself and he had taken it out on her when he got the opportunity.

It was not long before her eyes cracked open. He was not sure if was because she sensed him there or not. But she stared at him for a long moment when she caught sight of him.

"That's still creepy," she muttered, and for just a second, he thought this might not be as hard as he thought. But then she turned over and left him staring at her back and he realized that she was not going to make this easy for him at all.

"Sam, please talk to me," he pleaded softly.

"Why should I? The last time I tried that, you started yelling at me."

He deserved that.

"I'm sorry, Sam," he sighed, running a hand through his hair, wishing she was at least still facing him so he could see her face. "I was out of line. I don't know why I got so angry…why I said that."

After a moment of silence, she finally rolled back over. For a long moment, she only stared up at him before she spoke. "You were angry because of your brother," she told him softly.

He shook his head. "That's been over a month ago."

"Sirius…" Her lips turned down. "It doesn't just go away overnight. You know that. You saw how long it took me."

"That was different."

"No. It wasn't. There's no measure that says how long you should mourn for someone. You can't just wake up one day and decide you're alright with it. That's not how it works."

He was silent, his gaze refusing to meet hers. He felt the mattress shift and watched her out of the corner of his eye as she sat up. Her knees were pulled up and her arms folded across them, resting her face on her arms. She was watching him, waiting for him to respond.

"It doesn't matter how upset I was…am over my brother," he whispered, finally meeting her gaze. "I should have never said those things to you."

Her jaw clenched and she turned her head. He sighed and pushed himself closer to her. He hesitated before he wrapped his arms around her, but deciding that she could not get any more angry with him, his slid them around her and pulled her against him. He was surprised when she did not resist him, but instead picked her head up and moved it to rest upon his shoulder.

"I never thought," she said quietly, "That you would use my family against me in an argument."

He cringed and closed his eyes tightly. "I haven't been myself lately. I don't know what possessed me to say that. But I will never do it again. I swear I won't."

She sighed and moved closer to him. "I know."

And just like that, he knew he had been forgiven. He was lucky, he knew. But he really had not been himself lately, and she seemed willing to put it behind them. They sat there in silence for a while until he found himself yawning.

"I slept terribly without you," he told her.

She tilted her head up to look at him, a small smile on her lips. "I'm not sure if I slept at all. Not really."

"Then I think we should avoid spending anymore nights apart," he breathed, leaning down and giving her a kiss. He wasn't sure if she'd allow it, not so soon after their argument, but she did and he was grateful. Grateful that she was giving him another chance. Grateful that she knew him well enough to know that all he'd said last night didn't mean anything at all.

After they broke apart, they decided to try and get more sleep. As she lay down against him, he noticed that she hadn't questioned him on how he'd stayed home when he had planned to go to work. He wondered if perhaps that had something to do with her forgiveness. That despite his words, he stayed to make sure she was alright, to apologize for all he'd said. Until this moment, he'd forgotten he'd even planned to go. And as he drifted off, he decided that come Monday, he would stop looking for extra work. He finally felt as if he could go on with his life. In his last waking moments, he murmured a 'thank you' under his breath. Because in forgiving him, she had helped him rediscover his life and how much he had missed it this past month. It was the best way to return to it, with her in his arms. As if it was meant to be.

* * *

Things returned to normal after that. Or at least as normal as things usually were. But in a war, things were unpredictable, and just a few moments could change lives forever. A couple of weeks later, Peter arrived at his father's shop to find it in disarray, things strewn about the floor. He found his father's body in the back, his eyes open wide and unseeing, a message written on the wall, condemning him for selling his items to muggle borns.

Peter handled his father's death better than anyone else had ever handled their family members' deaths. At least he seemed to the day of the funeral, and the day after when Sirius and Remus practically dragged him to the flat for dinner. But once everyone had settled back into their lives once again, Peter began to become scarce. He continued to run his father's shop, but he only did for half of the day, scared over the message that had been left, that he would meet the same fate. He no longer attended every Order meeting, but he still showed up enough to seem involved, though he was more of a passive viewer. He even stopped coming to any get togethers his friends were able to arrange. Everyone noticed, but they gave Peter his space, allowing him to deal with the death of his father in his own way. He was still going on with his life for the most part. There was no reason to interject.

One night in mid-October, Moody sent out a patronus, calling together an emergency Order meeting for those who were able to attend. James had just sat down to the dinner Lily had cooked when they received the message, and it only took once glance between them to decide that they would go. They were glad they did when they arrived. The turnout was small, though nothing else was to be expected on such short notice.

Moody was there of course. And Fabian and Gideon, not ones to usually miss such a thing. Marlene McKinnon was there was well. But that was all. Even Dumbledore was unable to attend on such short notice.

"I thank you all for coming on such short notice," the Head Auror growled as he limped to the front of the room. "The reason I've called this meeting is because, according to a source that I will keep anonymous, I have reason to believe a home down south will be attacked tonight. And we're here to stop it."

The night passed in a blur after that. It was hard to plan such a thing with such short of a time and with so few people. But some of the most talented members of the Order were present. James and Lily ultimately came up with the plan, and by eleven thirty that night, they were hidden around the threatened house. The death eaters showed up around one in the morning.

From that moment, it was chaos. Spells flew in all directions. The death eaters were surprised, but not for long. But they had not expected the Order to be there, and there were only three of them. Even with so few of the Orders members present, they were still outnumbered. By the end of it, Moody was able to arrest all three of them. They were not any particular ones that they had had their eyes on, but any death eater arrest was rare and the night was considered a success. James helped Moody take the death eaters to Auror Headquarters. Lily went along, and the others involved stayed behind to make sure the family was alright.

"Voldemort's not going to be happy," Moody told them after he had locked the three death eaters up for the night. They would be dealt with the next day. "This is the first death eater arrest we've made in years."

James shook his head. "He won't care that they've been arrested. They're disposable to him. It's them not getting what they were sent to do he'll be mad about."

"The two of you are certainly catching his attention."

James shook his head. "He has no idea we were behind that."

Moody shrugged as he made his way into his office. "He has his way of finding things out if he wants to know."

When James and Lily returned home, Lily fixed two cups of tea, and they sat at the kitchen table. There wasn't much point in going to bed until the adrenaline from earlier that night wore off, and it was now the weekend so there was no need to get up in the morning.

"Do you think it's true?" Lily asked softly, her hands nursing her cup, though she had yet to drink from it. When James gave her a questioning look, she clarified. "What Moody said about Voldemort knowing that the two of us were behind tonight."

James shrugged, his gaze on his tea. "Nothing Voldemort does surprises me anymore. This isn't an exception." He glanced up and caught her worried look. "Hey." He reached a hand across the table. She removed one of her hands from around her cup to place it in his and he squeezed it gently. "We could lie low for a while, if you wanted," he told her softly. "Stay away from the Order. Just for a bit. Just to play it safe."

A thoughtful expression crossed her face. Just for a moment, but then it was gone, replaced with a small smile. "I'll admit, I had thought of that myself. But it would feel a bit like backing down, wouldn't it? But as long as there's a war going on, I want to stay involved and help try and make a difference. What do you think may have happened if the Order hadn't been ready to respond tonight? "

James nodded and then returned her smile. "I thought you might say that. But I wanted to put the offer out. And it always stands."

When they went to bed a bit later, James did not have trouble sleeping like he would have in the past. Instead, he fell asleep, comforted by the fact that he had saved lives that night, that he may be able to do so again. And that was worth the risks he was taking.

* * *

On the third Saturday in November, The Leaky Cauldron was crowded. It was to be expected that the gateway between muggle London and Diagon Alley would be crowded with the holidays approaching fast. Most only passed through, but some stopped for lunch or for a drink at the bar. The crowd was the reason why the pub had been chosen for their meeting. It was safer, and although it wasn't exactly the sort of place they usually frequented, the chances of something happening were lower.

Samantha was the first to arrive. It only took a quick glance around for her to notice. She chose a table in the far corner. It was out of the way enough that they would go unnoticed by most and it would give them the privacy they desired. Today was to be enjoyable, and she wanted no one to spoil it. The barkeep came by to ask her order. She asked for a glass of red wine and informed him that she was waiting for someone.

They arrived not long after her glass of wine had been set before her and she smiled as Lily and Amber made their way towards her. It had been too long. She could count on one hand the amount of times she had seen Amber since the wedding. And even though she saw Lily regularly at work and Order meetings, she could not remember the last time they had gotten together like this.

She stood and embraced them both. The barkeep arrived and took the new arrivals' drink orders and all of their lunch orders. They did not begin to catch up until he had left, their orders written down on a pad of paper.

"Have you found a job yet?" Samantha asked Amber.

Amber and Mason had been living in a tiny loft in London. Mason had managed to snag a job in a wizarding bar on the outskirts of London where he worked five nights a week. The pay wasn't very good and Amber had been picking up odd jobs here and there to help pay the bills as she searched for something more permanent. Samantha and Lily both had offered to help financially until they could catch their footing, but Amber would not hear of it.

The grin Amber gave them told them the answer before she did. "Yes. Madame Malkin wants me to work with her through the holidays. She decided after last year, she'll need help with the holiday rush." Madame Malkin, who was really not much older than them, had opened a robe shop in Diagon Alley a few years back. It had taken it awhile to take off, but once people had realized how skilled she was, the demand for her robes had shot up. She provided everything from school robes to dress robes for any fancy get-together. "She said if things go well, we might be able to work something out. Since her business has taken off, she thinks she may need an assistant."

"That's fantastic," Lily exclaimed.

"It's a very suiting job for you," Samantha added. "Seeing as you love clothes so much."

"I know," Amber gushed. "It's almost like helping people shop. Only I'll be making money instead of spending it."

"And how are things going with Mason?" Lily asked, eyebrows raised. "Have you grown tired of him yet?"

Amber smiled wistfully. "No," she said slowly, shaking her head. "You know, I'm not sure I'm going to."

"That's really great," Samantha told her. "I'm happy for you. I never thought I'd see the day."

Amber shrugged. "Well, I never thought I'd see Sirius settle down with a girl, either. And speaking of. I know how Lily and James are doing seeing how they've just gotten married and all. But I have no idea about you and Sirius."

Samantha shrugged. "There's not much to tell."

They both gave her dubious looks.

"Not much to tell," Amber repeated, voice disbelieving. "Oh, come on, Sam, the two of you have been together since sixth year-"

"No we haven't," Samantha told her flatly.

"-and you're telling me there's nothing to tell? The two of you haven't discussed the future at all?"

Samantha shrugged. "We've spoken of it a little. He asked me if I'd marry him one day, but don't expect that anytime soon."

Amber sighed dramatically. "The two of you are so slow at everything. Has he at least told you he loves you yet?"

Samantha looked taken aback. "No. I don't think-"

"Oh please," Lily replied with a roll of her eyes. "Are the two of you going to be blind to _everything_ forever?"

"But-"

"It's true," Amber spoke up as their food and drinks were placed in front of them. "The two of you are so stubborn, you're the last to see anything. It's like you were made for each other."

Samantha scowled. "Why don't you pester Lily about her and James?"

"I already said the two of them have gotten married," Amber shrugged, pushing her food around with her fork. "There's not anything else left. Now it's just all boring stuff."

"Actually," Lily suddenly had a secretive smile on her face, "There is something."

The other two girls froze. After a moment, Amber's mouth gaped opened, though she seemed incapable of forming words. Lily grinned at their faces. Unable to hold it in anymore, she lightly touched her abdomen.

"We only found out a few weeks ago," she told them, the grin still on her face.

Recovering from her surprise, Samantha leaned over in her chair to give Lily a quick hug. "I can't believe it. You're going to be a mum."

"I'll be the favorite aunt, of course," Amber stated. She did not have to say how happy she was for Lily; it was all over her face.

Samantha scoffed. "You mean second-favorite."

"I'm glad to know that James and I won't be any short of babysitters." Lily said. "Though I'm a bit nervous about leaving Sirius alone with the baby."

"What about James?"

Lily pulled a face. "He and I will be having many talks before this baby is born."

"As long as you don't leave James and Sirius alone together with the baby," Amber spoke up cheerfully.

Samantha's face turned horrified.

"Disaster," Lily whispered.

After a moment of silence, they burst into laughter, elated at the thought of a baby joining their group. Their lives really did seem to be starting now and they looked forward to seeing what their future would bring.

* * *

Tragedy struck less than a week later.

It was just past one thirty in the morning when Sirius got the call from Moody, telling him to come to Headquarters immediately, that there had been another attack. It was with great effort that he drug himself out of bed and got dressed. When he shook Samantha's shoulder to tell her where he was going, she muttered at him and pushed him away. He grinned and, promising to be back as soon as he could, kissed her cheek before he strode from the room.

Headquarters was chaotic when he arrived, like it always was when there was an attack, especially when the attack occurred in the middle of the night and drug them all out of bed. He moved past the witches and wizards bustling about, passing up his own cubical to head towards the Head Auror's office. There was nothing he needed to get to take with him. Moody was waiting for him when he stepped inside his office. It was not long after that they apparated to where the attack had been reported to have taken place.

Sirius had not recognized the London address. He knew it had happened in a flat building. There had been muggle witnesses who were having to have their memories altered. But when he rounded the corner and the building came into sight, he could swear his heart skipped a beat. His legs quit working and he stood frozen, staring up at the building, hoping there had been some mistake. But the Obliviators were already working with the muggles that had seen too much. This wasn't right. He wasn't supposed to know those who had been attacked.

If his mentor noticed his sudden change, he didn't mention it. It was likely he had. But it was Sirius's job, so there was no sign of it as he barked at him to get moving. Sirius moved forward as commanded, but he suddenly felt removed from his body. His mind briefly went to Samantha, asleep in their bed, unaware of what was happening, of how her world would soon shatter. He longed to go to her and protect her from what he now knew, but he knew that was an impossible wish. In any case, he would be required to stay until everything was taken care of. He hoped it went by quickly, so of course, it lasted for the remainder of the night.

When Samantha woke that morning, she was surprised to find that Sirius had not returned. Wherever he had gone, it had to have been bad to keep him for the entire night. Wondering if he would return before she left for work, she pulled herself out of bed and showered before getting dressed. By the time she had sat down to eat her breakfast, she was wondering if she should just take the day off and stay home with him. He would be given the day off after being out all night. But there was only just over a month before healers chose who to mentor. Missing a day would hurt her chances of being chosen, and if she were not, she would have to start the process over again. She wondered if she should leave a note for Remus, who did not have to go to work that day and who was still asleep. But Sirius would likely return before he woke up, so she decided not to bother.

It was with great reluctance that she left the flat twenty minutes later. As soon as she stepped outside, she was hit by a sharp gust of wind. Bowing her head, she drew her cloak tighter around herself, shivering in the cold air. It had snowed the day before and by now the snow on the sidewalk had turned to brown sludge that she had to be careful not to slip on.

She looked back up and was surprised to see Sirius walking towards her, his black hair blowing wildly in the wind. She had not expected to run into him. She grinned and picked up her pace, but as he drew closer, she could see how troubled his face was and her smile faded away.

"What's wrong?"

He was not quite meeting her gaze. His cheeks were red from the stinging wind, black shadows under his eyes from lack of sleep. When he did not answer her, she tried again.

"Sirius, did something happen?"

He finally looked at her and there was a sadness in his eyes that she had only seen a few times before. She took a step back and suddenly thought that perhaps she did not want to know.

"Not here," he murmured, reaching out to take her hand. "Come back upstairs."

Her brow furrowed and she glanced behind her to their building before meeting his gaze again. "I can't; I'll be late for work."

He shook his head. "I've told Adrien to have Nichole let them know you'll be staying home for a few days."

Her breath caught in her throat and she thought her heart may have stopped beating for just a second. "Sirius, you're scaring me."

He stepped closer to her, moving his hand to her arm. "Come upstairs with me."

She hesitated before she nodded and allowed him to turn her back towards the building and lead her over the slippery sidewalk, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. Her heart was now pounding wildly as she tried to think of what possibly could have happened. She wished he would just tell her, just put her out of her misery because surely it was worse not knowing. But she knew it was likely a good idea that he told her upstairs, away from prying eyes. But the fact that he thought they needed such privacy just scared her more.

He was silent for the entire walk back up to their flat. She wanted desperately to say something. The silence jut made her fear grow. She wished he would say something. Anything. In the quiet, she continued to grow more tense, and by the time the stepped into their flat, she was shaking. Sirius took his time in bolting the door. Samantha wrapped her arms around herself as she stared at his back, hoping it would hide how much her hands were shaking. It did little good.

When he finally turned back around, there was a deep look of sympathy on his face. She hated it when he looked at her like that. It reminded her too much of the days, the months, that had followed the deaths of her family. He walked towards her, and she had to drop her gaze from his as her stomach twisted uncomfortably. When he stopped directly in front of her, he still had not spoken and she could not wait anymore.

"Sirius…" Her hands moved up to clutch his robes at his hips as she met his gaze. Her voice was merely a whisper. "Who was it?"

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, his hands moving to her arms. He couldn't watch her face when she found out.

"It was Mason…" He swallowed. "And Amber."

His eyes still closed, he felt her stiffen beneath his hands. He touched his forehead to hers and then opened his eyes just in time to watch a mask fall over her face, turning her expression impassive. She stepped away from him, releasing his robes. His hands slipped from her arms and he shook his head.

"No," he murmured, stepping towards her and taking her face into his hands. "No, don't do that. Don't shut it away like that. It just makes it worse."

Her eyes closed and she drew in a shaky breath. "They're gone?"

He nodded even though she could not see. "I'm sorry love."

Her face fell in an instant and with a sob, she buried her face into his chest, her hands clutching at his robes as if she was terrified he would leave her, too. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him and bowing his head into her hair.

"I'm so sorry."

His arms tightened around her as she cried into his chest. He was fairly certain that that was the only reason why she was still on her feet. It was not long before the front of his robes was soaked, but he did not even notice. He continued to hold her, even when she fell silent and her shoulder stopped shaking. His thumb brushed against her back and he pressed his cheek against the top of her head.

He was the one to break the silence, when he thought that perhaps she would be ready to pull away from him. He sighed and ran his hand down her back.

"Do you want some tea?"

She shrugged, which he took as a yes because he felt that she should drink something. He unwound his arms from her and she lifted her head. Gently, he wiped the tears drying on her face away.

"Go sit down," he told her softly. He watched her nod absently and move towards the couch before he turned to the kitchen.

He shuffled through the various sorts of tea they had in their cabinet. He'd hoped they had a calming one, but the closest they had to that was one that would induce a light sleep. Deciding it wouldn't hurt for her to sleep if she drank enough of it, he set about to making her a cup. When he headed towards the couch, tea in hand, she was sitting on one end of the sofa, her back stiff and her eyes glued to the wall.

"Here."

He held the cup out to her and she took it silently. He sat on the other end of the couch and watched her out of the corner of his eye. He briefly thought about James and wondered if he'd told Lily yet. The other boy had shown up with Adrien and had been just as shocked as Sirius was when he first realized what had happened.

She only took a few sips of the tea before she set it down on the coffee table. She ran her hands over her face with a deep sigh.

"Why do they keep doing this to us?"

He echoed her sigh and patted his leg. "Come here."

She did not need any more encouragement. She stretched across the couch, her head coming to rest on his thigh. He rested his hand on her head and began to run it through her hair. One of her hands clutched at the fabric at his knee.

They were silent for a long time. His hand never stopped running through her hair. He was deep in thought as he leaned back against the back of the couch, his gaze on the far wall. He wondered if Remus were awake yet, or if he had heard them and was giving them space. It was probably the former. He would have come out to find out what had happened. He worried too much to do otherwise.

"Was it terrible?"

Her quiet voice startled him out of his thoughts. He'd thought she had fallen asleep by now. Though she hadn't, her voice indicated that she was not far off. He clenched his jaw at her question. Yes, it had been terrible. Their bodies had been mangled and twisted. Moody said they had been tortured for a long time, likely for information. Sirius had asked why. They weren't a part of the Order. His mentor had told him they were killed simply for the fact that they were associated with Order members. They were unprotected, so even if it was a long shot that they would know anything, it was not particularly dangerous for them to try. Not yet, Sirius had thought. There would be payback one day.

"No, love. It wasn't terrible. They went quickly."

She nodded against his leg and then relaxed and he knew she had gone to sleep. He did not feel guilty for lying to her like he had when he had lied about her father. There were some thing she didn't need to know.

Remus wandered out not long after. He'd been surprised to find Sirius sitting on the couch, Samantha asleep in his lap. He was dismayed when Sirius told him what had happened. He'd been planning on spending the day with Peter in his father's shop, but he offered to stay home instead. Sirius told him to go ahead and go. Peter needed to be told anyway. So after a quick shower, Remus had left as he had planned, and their flat was quiet once more.

Sirius considered moving Samantha to their bed or perhaps just easing out from under her head. But there was nothing else for him to do and he was content to just sit there and wait for her to wake up. His hand had moved from her hair to her arm and he was lightly tracing circles on her skin with his thumb. He'd wait for her to wake up, and then he would make her eat something. They would get through it together, as they always did. He couldn't imagine there was any other way.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	43. Chapter Forty Three

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**So as you'll notice, this chapter is much longer. Since this story is getting so long, I'd like to pack more into each chapter. This depends on how quickly I write, so it will likely vary chapter to chapter, because I don't want to wait forever to update to get each chapter this long. We'll just see how it goes.**

**Thanks to those who review and also my silent readers! **

* * *

****Fate

Chapter Forty Three

Peter sighed as he watched Remus head down the street before he shut and locked the door to his shop. Remus had come over in the afternoon and helped him around the shop. Peter hadn't particularly wanted the company. He found himself wishing to be left alone more and more since his father died. He avoided his friends, even the Order. He'd never wanted to join but with his father dead, he wanted no part of it. But it wasn't something you just dropped. So he went sometimes, but only enough to make it seem he was still interested. But at this point, as long as he and his mother were safe, he didn't particularly care.

He had not been all that surprised when Remus had told him about Amber and Mason's deaths. They were in a war, what did they expect? No one was safe anymore, a part of the Order or no. Of course, he didn't voice this aloud to Remus. He wouldn't understand his train of thought. None of his friends would.

He was sweeping the floor-his father had always preferred to keep his shop clean without the use of magic and Peter had picked up the habit- when there was a knock on the door. Peter paused and frowned. He had flipped the sign to closed before Remus had left. He weaved through the shelves of his shop to the door. There was a tall figured standing outside the door. They wore a black cloak, the hood pulled up so he could not see their face. It had started raining, he noted as he halted, his stomach knotting. His mysterious visitor didn't exactly look friendly.

"We're cl-closed," he called out as firmly as he could managed.

The figure stared at him for a long moment. Though Peter could not see their eyes, he could feel their eyes burning into him. Their arm raised again and knocked on the door. It took him another long moment before he slowly moved toward the door and unlocking it. He backed up rapidly and the figure let themselves in, their cloak dripping on Peter's freshly-swept floor. He could tell now, by their figure, that it was a man. He expected him to lower his hood and reveal himself once inside and out of the rain. But he made no move to.

"Peter Pettigrew?"

His voice was deep and gravelly, not a voice Peter could say he had ever heard before. It sounded threatening, dangerous, and Peter grew even more nervous.

"Y-yes. That's me."

The man stared at him for a long moment, but did not speak. Peter could just make out his eyes, glistening in the shadows of his hood.

"Can I help you with something?"

It took all of Peter's willpower to ask steadily, but he could not very well stutter all night.

"I've been sent with a proposition for you."

Peter swallowed. He did not quite know what he'd expected the man to say, but this wasn't it. Hit by a rare bought of bravery, he narrowed his eyes.

"What sort of a proposition?" he asked. "Who are you?"

The man slowly reached for his left hand, and then he grabbed his sleeve and pulled it upwards. Peter sucked in his breath when he caught sight of the Dark Mark on the man's arm, stark against pale skin.

"The Dark Lord sent me. He thought you may be interested."

"I don't understand." Reflexively, Peter took a step back away from the man, the Death Eater. "What would he want with me?"

The man tilted his head to the side just slightly. "He's very interested in you, Pettigrew. You have something he wants, and he has something for you in return. Join us and you will be rewarded greatly."

"What is it that he wants?" Peter demanded. "And what does he plan on giving me?"

"You are a part of the Order," the Death Eater told him. "All he wants is information."

"A spy?"

"If that's what you wish to call it. And in return, you will be offered security. You will be safe, at least as long as you are able to go undiscovered. But even you should manage that."

Peter did not seem to notice the slight. "If I give him information on the Order's movements…I'll be safe?"

"Yes."

Peter's eyes narrowed. "What makes him think I'd want to?"

He squeaked after he'd asked, realizing how defiant the question was. But the Death Eater only chuckled.

"He knows more than you realize, I think. He knows how reluctant you were to join the fighting. How you joined so you would not be overshadowed by your friends."

Peter was astonished. "How…?"

"He has his ways. If you join us, you will have done something your friends will never have the courage to do. They will be nothing compared to you."

"But…"

"And you would no longer have to live your life in fear."

That was true. Peter swallowed. "Do I…Do I have to decide _right now_?"

The man shook his head slightly. "You have one week. If you choose to join us, to spy on the Order for the Dark Lord, I will take you to meet him and you will be rewarded. If you do not-"

"You'll kill me, right?"

"No. That would not make it a choice. Your memory will simply be erased."

Peter exhaled gratefully. At least he could make the decision on his own.

"However, if you speak of this to anyone, then yes, you will be killed."

He was shaking now. "Yes. I understand."

"I will speak to you in one week's time, Peter Pettigrew."

Then the Death Eater had turned and was out the door. The rain and dark swallowed him and Peter was suddenly alone, shaking, wondering what he might do, though a part of him thought he knew what decision he would make.

The week passed quickly. Peter kept to himself for the most part, scared to face his friends, that somehow, they would look at him and know what he was considering doing. He did not attend Amber's funeral, and when questioned about it later, he told them he thought he couldn't handle it, not so soon after his father's death. He did make himself attend the Order meeting that was held two days later though. If he agreed and would be spying on the Order, he would have to attend regularly. Best to start it back up gradually instead of suddenly becoming involved again. At the meeting, he took note of what was said, stored things in the back of his mind as if he would return to Voldemort after and report all that was said. Just to see if he could handle it. Besides a shaking of his hands, he found it not to be that hard. Thrilling, really. To know something his friends didn't, to be unwinding all of their plans that they were obsessing and arguing over. For once in his life, he felt as if he were in control of them instead of the other way around. And it felt surprisingly good.

Exactly one week after his first visit, the Death Eater came again, just as mysterious as before. There were no pleasantries exchanged. Peter agreed to become a spy. To become a Death Eater. He thought he might regret it when he agreed, when it was too late to change his mind. But he didn't. All he felt was the same thrill as before.

The very next evening, he was taken to meet Voldemort himself. To call it a terrifying experience would not explain it enough. He was shaking all over, but he forced himself to calm down. He would have to report to him regularly. He might as well get over his fear quickly. But he felt he never quite would.

With his eyes not quite meeting Voldemort's, he told him all that the Order had spoken of at their last meeting. It had not been a lot of useful information, but he told it all. Voldemort seemed pleased by the information nonetheless and decided to reward him. That turned out to be a dark mark of his very own. He would have to learn to hide it from his friends, especially when the pains shot up his arm. But when he looked at it, he felt like he was finally needed somewhere. His friends liked him, sure, but he mostly just tagged along with them, not really needed. Here, his information was valued.

And so on the fifth of December, 1979, Peter Pettigrew became a Death Eater.

* * *

The pleasant hum of voices filled the room. It was Christmas Eve. The Order was meeting for other reasons besides the war, a rare occasion. They had all needed to have a day for enjoyment, a day when they gathered together and discussed things that didn't involve staying one step ahead of the Death Eaters.

Samantha's eyes scanned the room. She enjoyed seeing the smiles and hearing the light-hearted conversations around her. It was a welcome sight, especially after the past month. Enough time had passed since Amber's death that everyone had finally stopped asking her how she was coping. Sirius had stopped treading carefully around her. Things were returning back to normal, or at least as close to normal as they could get.

"Sam."

She was drawn out of her thoughts by her name being called and turned to find Adrien shaking his head at her.

"Have you heard one word I've said to you?"

She frowned at him. "Of course I have," she replied, her voice indignant.

"Right," he said, raising an eyebrow at her. "Then what did I just ask you?"

She opened her mouth to reply and then paused, because she had not in fact heard anything he'd said to her in the past several minutes.

He grinned at her. "That's what I thought. I asked you what you and Sirius were doing for Christmas tomorrow. And what time you wanted to go to the cemetery the next day." His grin had slipped. It was impossible to keep up when talking of such things.

She shrugged. "I think James is dragging us to his parents' for dinner. But I'm not sure. We honestly haven't made much plans. There hasn't been time. Remus will probably tag along wherever we go. But Peter will probably just stay home." Peter had been withdrawn lately. They rarely saw him unless it was at an Order meeting, and even then, he didn't talk much. He was at the party somewhere, though. She had spotted him talking to Remus at one point. "We can go to the cemetery at whatever time's good for you."

Truthfully, a part of her did not want to go to the cemetery that year. Amber's death was still fresh. She had seen far too much of cemeteries lately. But she would go anyway. She could not stay away.

"I'll let you know, then. I just wanted to make sure the two of you didn't have plans."

"No," she said softly. "We don't."

She and Sirius had spoken of just spending a quiet Christmas at home, at least until James brought up his parents. They were both still deciding if they wanted to go, but they would. They did not want to disappoint Joseph and Grace Potter. They had done so much for them. The least they could do was attend their Christmas dinner.

"Hey." Her brother's green eyes were narrowed, his lips turned downward. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I've just got a lot on my mind."

He was still frowning at her. "Are things alright with you and Sirius?"

She looked genuinely taken aback by the question and furrowed her brow. "Yeah, everything's fine. It's just been a tough few weeks is all." He still looked as if he did not believe her, so she gave him a reassuring smile and reached out to squeeze his hand. "I'm fine. I promise. You worry too much."

"It's my job to worry," he replied with a smile. "Go to the Potters' and enjoy Christmas tomorrow. You need a day where you're not worrying. And give my love to Joseph and Grace."

Joseph and Grace Potter had finally decided they could no longer keep up with the Order, so they had retired from it. They still came every now and then when they were needed. But they were absent from the party, likely choosing to just spend a quiet night at home instead.

"If everyone wants to gather around, we'll go ahead and take the picture now," Alice Longbottom called from the other side of the room.

They had gotten the idea a couple of weeks ago. To take a picture of the Order. No matter the outcome of the war, they felt that they should document those who fought against it. If not for anything else, for memories later on because surely the Order would not last forever. The Christmas party had already been planned and had been decided to be the perfect place to take the photo.

Adrien grinned at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leading her across the room to where everyone else was headed. His arm remained around her while Alice and Marlene attempted to organize them for the photo. She felt an arm slip around her waist and she smiled and turned towards Sirius, but was surprised to find James grinning down at her instead. Sirius was there a moment later, shoving James away from her before slipping his own arm around her waist. She could not help but laugh at the look on James's face, but he recovered quickly when Lily joined him. Peter stood on their other side and Remus appeared beside Adrien.

It took a while longer to get the perfect picture. People kept moving or turning away from the camera at the same instant the camera snapped a photo. One picture captured Benjy Fenwick mid-sneeze. But finally they captured the perfect picture, one that captured who the Order members were. To an outsider, it might just look like a group of friends gathered together celebrating Christmas. But they knew that they bonds they shared could only come about by what they had all been through together, the future they faced together every day. The picture would be a reminder when years later, when hopefully most of them were still alive, they could pull it out and remember what these people meant to them, what they saw together. A constant reminder to the cause they had dedicated their lives to so that they would always remember.

* * *

The next several weeks were their busiest.

The week after New Year's came the moment that Samantha and her fellow trainees and been building towards: the selections for mentorship. Selections were limited. Only one trainee could be paired per mentor, and the mentors had to be experience healers. It was also the healer's choice to become a mentor, so numbers were limited and varied by year. There was no way to know how many would be selected until they were announced.

Samantha had not been sure if she would be selected or not. If she wasn't and still wanted to be a healer, she would have to start the process over again. She was completely surprised when Benjy Fenwick announced that he had chosen to mentor her. He had never let on to such a choice at any Order meeting. Most of the day was spent discussing how things would go and later that night, Sirius laughed at her and asked her if she really hadn't thought Benjy would choose to mentor her.

But it was impossible to ignore the war. Four weeks after the photograph was taken, Marlene McKinnon was found dead in her home, along with the rest of her family. Her home had been heavily protected, and she went through complicated measures to make sure that Death Eaters would not find out where she lived. It was a mystery as to how she had been found. She was the first Order member to be killed since the Dawsons, and with her whole family slain, it was eerily similar. More than ever it was clear that no one was safe, and they wondered what would happen next.

As January faded into February, attacks seemed to pick up the pace. Muggles and muggle-borns seemed to be the main targets. It seemed like attacks were happening nearly every day. Both the Aurors and Order members were being run ragged trying to keep up, but the Death Eaters' movements were sporadic and impossible to predict. They could do little else but wait for word of another attack.

"I'm glad you talked me into going to dinner tonight," Samantha said, looking up at Sirius as they walked down the sidewalk. "You were right. We needed the break."

"Of course I was right," Sirius replied with a grin, wrapping his arm around her waist.

She responded by pressing into his side, slipping her arm around his waist as well. It was the last week in February, and a chilling wind was cutting through the air. His body heat helped to fight off the bitter cold. They both had been busy lately between work and the Order, Sirius especially. It seemed more often than not he came home late. Just the previous night, she recalled him waking her up as he crawled into bed, despite his efforts to not disturb her. They were both exhausted by the end of the week, and since it was Friday and there was no Order meeting, Samantha had planned on going to bed early in hopes of catching up on sleep. But when Sirius had arrived, he'd suggested they go out to dinner. She'd been reluctant, but he managed to talk her into it. So they had gone to eat at Gwendolyn's. It was a pub in the heart of London, and like The Leaky Cauldron, was hidden from muggles. It was more classier than The Leaky Cauldron, however, and though it was a pub, it served plenty of choices for dinner. They had eaten there several times before, but lately, it seemed they did not have the time.

"Though sleeping would have been nice as well," she added, ending her sentence with a yawn she could no longer hold back.

His grin widened. "Well, you have plenty of time for that now. Unless you want to do something else…" His eyebrows rose as he glanced down at her. She wrinkled her nose in response, but before she could reply, he scoffed. "Don't be insulting or anything."

"I'm tired, Sirius," she replied, a smile on her lips at the look he wore upon his face.

"We'll see if you change your mind when we get home."

"Yes, we will."

Her look was stubborn and he sighed in defeat. He knew that look well enough. A sharp gust of wind cut through them like ice, and his arm tightened around her, pulling her closer.

"Who's bright idea was it for us to walk home?" he grumbled when the wind had momentarily passed.

It was Samantha's turn to grin. "Yours, dear. Remember? You said the fresh air would do us some good."

"Oh, yeah."

She shook her head at him, removing her arm from his waist to slip her hand into his cloak pocket in an attempt to warm her numb fingers. "We could always apparate."

"There's no point now," he sighed. "We're nearly home."

It was true. They still had several minutes of walking ahead of them, but they were now past the halfway point. Plus, besides the freezing wind, it was nice to be outside for a change. Besides going back and forth between work, home, and Order meetings, Samantha felt she hadn't been outside in ages.

"Now that you've said that, you can't complain anymore, you know."

Sirius shrugged and grinned down at her. It seemed that tonight he could not stop grinning. "Complain? Me? I would _never_."

She did not reply, only gave him a look that caused him to let out his barking laugh. She rolled her eyes at him, but glanced up questioningly a moment later when his laughter cut off abruptly as he suddenly stopped walking. With his arm so tightly around her, she was jerked to a stop as well. But he was not looking at her. His grey eyes were narrowed as he gazed intently to their left. They were standing beside an alleyway and in the dark night, it was impossible to see far into it. His right hand slipped from around her and slowly drew his wand out of his robes. That was when she felt as if they were being watched, something Sirius had picked up sooner likely thanks to his training.

"Pull out your wand," he whispered to her, his gaze still fixed on the alley. She strained her eyes to see further in, but it was impossible. Anyone could be standing in the darkness. Around them, the streets were deserted. They had cut down a side street that did not get a lot of traffic. She followed Sirius's lead, moving as little as possible as she pulled out her wand and gripped it tightly in her hand.

"It must be my lucky night."

They both stiffened as the disembodied voice floated to them from the alley. They both recognized it, but neither could place it, at least not until the figure slowly stepped from the shadows. He was tall and wide, his blond hair messy and his brown eyes filled with a dangerous glint. They recognized him instantly. It was a boy they had gone to school with. But he'd kept company with the likes of Severus Snape and Evan Rosier. It was Wilkes, the Slytherin who had once sent Sirius to the hospital wing with a blow to the head by a bludger.

"Isn't this a surprise?" he continued. "Never thought I'd see Black or Dawson again."

"Can't say we're pleased to see you," Sirius replied, eying Wilkes's Death Eater robes. "So I suppose we'll be on our way."

Sirius placed a hand on Samantha's back, ushering her forward. He cursed and grabbed her wrist to stop her a moment later when Wilkes suddenly drew his wand on them. He had hoped that since the Death Eater was alone, he would not try to stop them.

"Not so fast, Black. I think the three of us should have a bit of a chat. It's been so long since we've seen each other, after all."

"We're not really in the mood to chat," Sirius answered coolly. "Lest of all with you."

"Heard you've become an Auror," Wilkes said, ignoring him. "Have they taught you to duel properly yet?"

"Why?" Sirius snapped. "Want a demonstration?"

"Imagine how pleased the Dark Lord would be," Rosier drawled, his eyes moving over both of them. When they landed on Samantha, Sirius narrowed his eyes and pulled her against him. "If I were able to take out the two of you in one go."

"In case you haven't noticed, it's two to one, so you should drop the cocky attitude."

"Perhaps you should," Wilkes snapped in reply. "_Stupefy_!"

Despite having no warning, Sirius deflected the spell in a flash, pulling Samantha behind him. Though he still trained her in dueling when they had time (which was not very often), he had been trained formally and he preferred her to stay out of harm's way.

Sirius sent a stunning spell back to Wilkes in reply. Part of his training had been to not aim to kill a Death Eater should the situation arise unless you had no other choice. Moody would much rather be able to interrogate a Death Eater then have to come pick up his body. He hoped he would be able to deliver, but dead or alive, he knew Moody would not particularly care the fashion a Death Eater was delivered as long as it meant there was one less out there.

Wilkes was quick to dodge and respond with a Reductor curse. He was still far enough in the alley that they could dive against the wall to dodge the curse. They shielded their heads as a chunk of the wall burst away, raining debris down on them. Sirius stood, but pressed Samantha down when she tried to do the same.

"Stay here," he told her softly.

She nodded, knowing better than to try to argue with him. She moved closer to the edge of the alley so she could watch. Her wand was at the ready in case she needed to step in and help

"_Praefoco_!"

Wilkes sent the choking curse at him as soon as he stepped out from behind the wall. Sirius was quick to dive out of the way. This was the first time he had been attacked without any sort of warning or plan and he was glad that his reflexes were not letting him down.

"_Confringo_!"

"_Defodio_!"

Gritting his teeth, Sirius managed to get a shield spell up just in time. Wilkes was relying on spells that, when used on a human, were unusually cruel. They were becoming for creative than just relying on their Unforgivables.

"_Expelliarmus_!"

The Death Eater sneered. "Going to have to do better than that, Black. _Expulso_!"

Sirius was growing impatient. He resorted to casting a Reductor curse at Wilkes. The spell took the Death Eater by surprise and he dove to the side, but not quick enough. The curse grazed his leg and shouting in pain, Wilkes grabbed his leg as his face darkened in anger.

"_Stupefy_!"

Wilkes rolled out of the way, grabbing his wand (which he had dropped when his leg had been hit) before jumping to his feet. He favored his leg, but he ignored the pain to focus on Sirius.

"_Deprimo_!"

The spell was off and it hit the same wall as before. The damage was worse and bricks showered down to the pavement below. Samantha managed to jump out of the way just in time, but one brick struck her arm hard, causing her to cry out. Sirius's head whipped around and it was his downfall.

Making a slashing motion, Wilkes shouted "_Diffindo_!" Sirius was unable to stop the gasp of pain that emitted from his lips as the spell cut him from his right shoulder diagonally down across his collar bone to his lower left chest. The front of his robes quickly grew dark with blood and when he coughed, blood dripped down his chin.

Samantha covered her mouth with her hands, staring in horror as Wilkes flicked his wand at Sirius, almost carelessly, sending him flying into the air before he crashed to the ground further into the alley, unmoving. Her face white, Samantha stepped into the alley, her eyes flashing in anger and her wand pointed at Wilkes. Sirius lay behind the Death Eater and she could not tell if he was even breathing.

"Ready for your turn, blood traitor?" Wilkes called tauntingly. "I figure you'll be a lot easier to deal with."

She did not answer, only clenched her jaw tightly as she forced herself to turn her attention to the Death Eater in front of her. Her hand was shaking in fear, for Sirius, not herself. Something burned deep down inside her to protect him and she would. She would not allow this man to ruin everything she had worked so hard for. She would not allow anything else she held dear taken away from her. She only prayed Sirius could hold on a bit longer.

Wilkes rolled his eyes when she made no move towards him. "Oh, let's get on with it already. _Avada Kedavra_!"

As Samantha ducked away from the spell, feeling her hair flutter as the jet of light flew just over her head, her mind returned to the first lesson Sirius had ever given her in dueling. She heard his voice instructing her as she dodged and returned a spell back to Wilkes.

"_Stupefy_!"

_"Reducto_!"

"_Effrego_!"

He chuckled at her. "Childs play. I know you can do better than that."

"_Crucio_!"

She did not manage to move in time. A pain that she had felt before seized her body, sending a spasm through her, and she collapsed. As she desperately fought back a scream, her mind clung to a terrible thought. That this was it. He had managed to kill them both. It was an oddly calming thought, but then the urge to fight back overcame her. Later, she could not say how she had done it. But the need to survive was strong.

Fighting the pain that racked her body, she managed to lift her wand up. She croaked, "_Praefoco_." Wilkes had not been watching her wand hand, assuming she was down for the count. The curse seized him and he dropped his wand to grasp at his throat as his breathing was taken away. The curse he'd had on Samantha broke. Her hand shook as she lay on the ground, her wand remaining trained on him to hold the charm. She closed her eyes, turning her face away, trying to block out the choking noises he had begun to make. She did not open her eyes or lower her wand until she heard the thud of his body when it collapsed to the ground. Breathing heavily, she forced herself to turn to look. His eyes stared blankly back at her, the life having left his body.

Pushing the thoughts of what she had just done out of her mind, she attempted to push herself to her feet. But her arms and legs were shaking too badly and she collapsed back to her knees. Unable to rise to her feet, she crawled towards Sirius, praying he was still alive. When she finally reached him, she rolled him over to inspect the large gash running across his torso. The cut was deep and still bleeding freely. Her hand trembling, and not just as an after-effect of the Cruciatus Curse, she checked his pulse and nearly collapsed in relieve when she found it, though weak. He was alive, but if she did not get him to St. Mungo's soon, he would not be for much longer.

Looking around frantically, very aware that she could not walk, she caught sight of a brick that had flown from the wall. Reached and grabbing hold of it, she tapped her wand to it and muttered "_Portus_." The brick glowed blue, trembling slightly, and then it returned to normal. Picking Sirius's wand up from the ground, she stuffed both wands into her robes and gripped Sirius tightly. Keeping a firm hold on him and the brick, she pressed it to his open hand and a moment later, felt the tug at her navel as the portkey transported them to the lobby at St. Mungo's. She hoped it was not too late.

* * *

His first thought when he came back to awareness was that his chest bloody hurt. His mind was sluggish and for a brief moment, he thought he was waking up in his bed at home. But then he noticed the foreign feel of the bed he lay on. That was when he wondered where he was and why. It took some effort, but he managed to pry his eyes open. He was met with the sight of a white ceiling. He glanced around and thought it took him a few minutes, he soon recognized the walls of St. Mungo's. The room was smaller than he was used to seeing, and he realized he was in a private room very similar to the one Samantha's dad had been in when he was injured.

It was darker than normal, the main lights turned off with some sort of light source shining at his left. It must have been very late. Or early. He shifted a bit and winced as pain shot through his chest. Glancing down, he found his robes and shirt gone, his chest covered in thick bandages. Frowning, he racked his brain to try to remember what had happened.

"Finally awake?"

The voice startled him. He hadn't realized someone was in the room with him. He turned his head, carefully to not upset his chest, to find Nichole standing beside his bed. She was dressed in the lime green robes that were the uniform for St. Mungo's healers. She seemed to have been messing with the potion bottles that were on a table not far from his bed.

"How long…?" he managed to croak out, surprised at how dry his throat was.

"All night," she replied. "It's just after five now. We were worried there for a bit. You were in bad shape when you got here."

He frowned deeply. For some reason, he couldn't quite recall what had led him to be here. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" she asked. "You're on a pain potion that makes your mind foggy, though it's wearing off now. Give it a minute. It'll come back."

"We were attacked…" he said slowly. "We went out to dinner and ran into Wilkes. We started to duel and then he caught me off guard and then…Sam!" He suddenly exclaimed as the memories rushed back. He began to sit up quickly only to have an unbelievably sharp pain shoot through his chest that left him breathless. Nichole grabbed his shoulders as he gasped loudly and eased him back down.

"Don't move," she told him sternly. "You still have a lot of healing to do."

"Sam," he gasped out, trying to ignore the pain that was still shooting through his chest. "She was with me, she-"

"It's alright," Nicole said gently. "She's just fine."

She nodded to his right and he quickly turned his head. There was a sofa along the wall and Samantha was stretched out along it. Her face was calm with sleep.

"She's alright?" he questioned, his gaze moving back to Nichole. It was odd that she was still asleep, that she had not been sitting by his bedside waiting for him to wake up. Not that he wasn't glad she was getting rest instead.

Nichole nodded. "She's alright. She got hit by the Cruciatus Curse so she was a bit shaken when she got here. I was working late and on my way out. Of course, I had to stay and help. She wouldn't take any help while we worked on you; she was too anxious. It was a close call, you know. But I finally talked her into taking a sleeping draught a couple of hours ago."

That explained why she hadn't been woken up. He nodded at her explanation. So many questions were on the tip of his tongue, but his eyes were growing heavy with sleep. Nichole took notice.

"Get some sleep," she told him. "You need rest."

He allowed his eyes to slid closed then and soon, he was dead to the world once more.

The second time he woke up, he could hear the bustle of the hospital on the other side of the door. His chest still hurt and though he wanted to shift to get more comfortable, it was not worth the pain that would follow. He felt a hand brush through his hair and a small smile crossed his lips. He cracked his eyes opened and found Samantha leaning over him.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him softly.

"Like James made a terrible call during a quidditch match which resulted in me being trampled by a herd of hippogriffs," he grumbled, quite aware that it made no sense. But there was no way for him to describe just how badly his chest was pounding.

She gave him a tired smile at that. "That sounds about right."

There were dark shadows under her eyes and he wondered just how much sleep she had gotten. He did not say anything though. She would just chastise him for worrying about her when he was the one in the hospital bed.

He glanced down at his chest to find that the bandages were still there. "Why am I wrapped in bandages?" he asked with a frown. "Can't they just heal it?"

"I'm afraid not. The wound was too deep, plus it was created by a spell. They healed what they could, but you have to let your body heal a bit on its own before they can heal it all the way. It's going to leave a pretty big scar though."

His frown deepened. "How long?"

Her look was apologetic as she replied, "Likely at least a week."

He groaned loudly. "A week? I'm going to be stuck here for a week?" He voice was nearly a whine.

She rolled her eyes at him. "You're such a child," she informed him. "You'll live."

He sighed deeply. Her hand was resting on the bed and he took it in his own, absently playing with her fingers. "I was in bad shape when I got here, wasn't I?"

"I thought I was going to lose you," she whispered. "For a moment, I thought I did."

He squeezed her hand. "I'm going to be just fine," he assured her.

"I know," she said with a smile.

"How did you get away?" he asked her. He'd wondered briefly when he had woken up before, but he'd fallen asleep too quickly to ask.

"I somehow managed to distract him enough to get to you and turn a brick into a portkey. It all happened so fast, I'm not really sure. But we were lucky." She would not quite meet his gaze when she answered, but he wrote it off to be exhaustion.

"You should go home and get some sleep. I'm not going anywhere either way."

She shook her head. "No, I'm alright."

"Sam."

"Adrien's coming by later," she told him. "To ask some questions. I promised him I'd be here."

Sirius sighed. He couldn't very well argue with that. "Well, there's a couch. You can at least rest on that."

She shrugged. "I will before Adrien comes. I promise."

There wasn't much he could say to that. It wasn't as if he were in a position to force her. He drifted off not long after, still holding her hand. The pain medicine they had him on made him sleep. Not that he complained. It was a much better option than dealing with the pain in his chest.

Samantha sighed as he drifted off, and after he was sleeping soundly, she stood and moved to the couch. She did want to lie down. She had no plans of sleeping though. She'd slept a bit early that morning thanks to a sleeping draught Nichole gave her. But she'd woken up a few hours later from a nightmare about Wilkes choking to death. Convinced he had come back to haunt her, she had been unable to go to sleep. Now, she was just as scared to. She did not want to relive that moment. Her eyes burned, but she would not sleep. She didn't want to go through it again.

* * *

When Sirius woke again, it did not take him long to realize that he was alone. He wondered what time it was and if Samantha had rested like she had promised she would. The pain in his chest had not lessened at all, and he wondered how long it would be until the pain began to subside. He knew that wounds inflicted by spells were harder to heal than those that were not.

He passed the time by counting the speckles on the ceiling tiles. There was not much else to do. If he had known his dinner would be ending with him in the hospital, he would have taken a book along. Benjy came by to check on him once, but besides that, no one entered his room. He was not given a potion for pain, so he did not sleep. Just when he thought he was going to go mad from waiting, his door opened again.

He'd expected Samantha. He was surprised that such an amount of time had passed without seeing her. It had really only been a couple of hours, but it felt like ages to him. But it was not Samantha. It was her brother.

"Adrien," he said with a nod by way of greeting. Samantha had already told him he was coming, so there was no need to ask why he was here.

"Sirius," Adrien replied. He had a folder in his hands, notes on the case, most like. There were more than Sirius had expected though. It was not as if there was a lot to investigate. "You look like hell."

"Yeah, well I don't feel much better," he grunted. He attempted to sit up, but the pain that hit him when he started to rendered him unable to move. He growled under his breath in frustration after the worst had passed.

"Don't worry about that," Adrien told him softly with a shake of his head. "I'm just here to ask you a few questions."

Sirius nodded. "Sam said you were coming. Where is she?"

"I took her home after I talked to her. I told her to get some sleep, but I don't know if she intended to do more than take a shower. She did promise that when she came back, she'd have Remus bring her."

Sirius nodded again. He hoped she would sleep, at least for a bit. But at least she planned to allow Remus to escort her back. They would have to be careful walking the streets from now on, now that the danger had presented itself.

"Moody told me to tell you he'd have come himself, but he was too busy."

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure he was just dying to come and check on me."

Adrien shrugged and grinned. "Do you know how bad it would have made him look if his student had died? Especially since you've only got a few months of training left?"

"People die every day."

"Not Moody's people."

"Maybe he's losing his touch. They say he can see when potential is in front of him. Obviously not as well as he used to."

"Well if that's the case, you're the first one."

Sirius gave him a look. "Like you've never made a mistake before."

Adrien shook his head. "Not one that ended with me in the hospital, no."

Sirius groaned. "Don't remind me."

"From what Sam told me, it sounds like you handled the situation well," Adrien said, all tease from his voice gone. "Not many would be able to sense being watched like that. Not that quickly. Your guard was not up, or you weren't expecting an attack at least, and yet you were able to see the threat. Not many could have done that."

Sirius shifted his shoulders in some form of a shrug. He was not used to praise. Not from Adrien Dawson.

"Sam's already told me what happened," Adrien said when Sirius did not reply, opening the folder in his lap. "So why don't you tell me your version."

Sirius recounted everything that happened in detail from when he'd first felt like they were being watched to when he had been cut open. Part of his training had been to remember everything, no matter the situation. He hoped he was able to. He'd never had to put it in practice before. It seemed easy until you were put into the situation. Everything happened so fast, it was hard to remember every detail.

Adrien took notes as he talked and his occasional nod told him that he was just repeating what Samantha had already said. The story did not take long to tell. Their duel had been fast paced, and Sirius knew it had not lasted too long before he'd become distracted, which had ultimately led to his injury.

"Moody's going to give you hell for becoming distracted," Adrien told him as soon as he'd finished. But the understanding in his voice did not match his words. Sirius was sure Adrien had no problem with the fact that Sirius had been distracted over worry for his sister's safely.

"I know," he muttered in response. "I was surprised I didn't wake up to him lecturing me the first time I woke up."

"Well, you'll certainly get an earful when you return to work. Now, about Wilkes. Did he start the duel? Cast the first spell?"

Sirius frowned. "Yeah. He started off with a stunning spell, like I said, but the spells got worse after that."

"And he was aiming to kill you?"

"Of course he was."

"You felt as if there were no other option than to fight back?"

Sirius's frown deepened. "I don't…Why does it matter? He's a Death Eater. I just assume they're going to try to kill me at this point, really."

Adrien shifted in his chair. "I know these questions are odd, but you've got to answer them."

"Why? You're treating this like some sort of criminal investigation."

The other Auror shrugged. "They're standard questions when a body's involved. We know it was self-defense, but we're obligated by the Ministry to have asked these questions in the report we turn in."

Sirius furrowed his brow. "Body? But I didn't…Wilkes nearly killed me, not the other way around. And I'm not dead."

It was Adrien's turn to look confused. "No, I know you didn't kill Wilkes. Sam…" Understanding shone in his eyes. "She didn't tell you."

Sirius's stomach knotted. "Tell me what?"

"She killed him. Wilkes. But it was self-defense. He had her under the Cruciatus Curse. Like I said, I'm just required to have asked you these questions."

But Sirius wasn't paying attention to what he said anymore. His veins had turned to ice. Samantha had killed him. She had taken his life. The thought of what she had done had been eating her up and he hadn't noticed. He could see it now, replaying his conversation with her in his head. The signs had been there and he hadn't even seen them. He closed his eyes. She was training to become a healer. She wasn't a killer. But the war had forced her hand. Everything, everything he could think of that had happened to them could be traced back to the war.

Adrien seemed to realize what Sirius was thinking. His soft voice broke the silence that had fallen between them. "I tried to talk to her about it, but she wouldn't. No more than what she had to say for the questions. If I had known you didn't…I just assumed that you knew, that you'd already tried to talk to her."

Sirius realized what he was hinting at. That she knew he would know now and that she could very likely avoid him. And there wasn't anything he could do about it. He couldn't even sit up in the damn bed.

"No wonder she hasn't wanted to sleep," he muttered under his breath. He knew how sensitive she was. He knew that the one time she had slept that Wilkes had likely haunted her dreams.

"I told Remus," Adrien told him. "I wanted him to know, just in case. Since he was the only one there. I didn't know you didn't know, of course. But he'll figure it out if she starts to avoid the hospital."

Sirius nodded absently. Not long after, Adrien said he had to get back to Headquarters to finish up the report and to relay what he'd found out back to Moody. Sirius was left alone with his own thoughts, wondering if he would see Samantha again that day.

He was not surprised at all when he didn't, but he was the next morning when he woke up to her sitting in the chair beside his bed.

She was not looking at him, but her hand was resting on the bed and he took it in his own gently. She jumped and turned. When her gaze met his, she gave him a hesitant smile.

"I wasn't sure if I'd see you today," he said softly, his voice rough from sleep.

Her gaze dropped down to their hands. "Remus made me come," she murmured. "He's around here somewhere."

"I'm glad you value my company so much," he teased, but his thumb had begun to trace circles on the top of her hand.

She did not reply, her gaze moving to the wall. He took the moment to study her. He was willing to bet she hadn't slept at all the night before. She looked as if she could drop at any moment.

"You know you didn't do anything wrong, don't you?" he asked quietly, his voice nearly a whisper. She flinched anyway. "Sam. Sam, look at me." He reached out and took her chin in his hand, gently turning her head so that she was looking at him again. "You did nothing wrong." His voice was firm but gentle. "He was going to kill us. You had to stop him. You understand that, right?"

She hesitated, but he did managed to get a small nod out of her.

"I know it doesn't seem like much," he continued, "But now there's one less Death Eater out there now. One less killer." He shook his head. "There's no telling how many lives you've saved, how many deaths he would have been responsible for if he were still out there."

Her eyes closed as she drew in a shaky breath. "That's what Adrien told me."

Sirius released her chin. "I must be right if I'm agreeing with Adrien."

She managed a small smile at that, her eyes opening and meeting his gaze. "Do you really think I saved people?"

"I _know_ you saved people." He studied her face for a moment before he spoke again. "Moody's never going to let me hear the end of it. You're the first one to have gotten a Death Eater in a while. They're going to remind me every day for months."

That time he got a full smile out of her. "I wish it had been you instead."

"I know," he replied, covering her hand with his. "But you held your own in a duel. I must be a good teacher."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes. It was all you."

"Of course it was," he said haughtily. She stifled a yawn then and he eyed her. "You ought to get some sleep."

She shook her head. "I'm alright."

"No, you're not. Here," he patted the edge of his bed. "You could take a nap."

She shook her head again, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I can't, Sirius. It's against hospital rules."

He sighed loudly. "Oh, come on. Rules were made to be broken."

"You'll have to move over."

He was silent for a long moment, and then the corners of his lips turned down into a frown. "No, Sam, it's against hospital rules. I don't want you getting in trouble."

She laughed and shoved his shoulder gently. He started to laugh with her until he realized that even that made his chest hurt.

"You really do need sleep," he told her instead. "You can go home with Remus and sleep and…" he trailed off. She was staring at him blankly as she fought not to smile. "You were already planning on that, weren't you?"

"Yes," she replied in exasperation. "That's where Remus has gone. To find Nichole and ask about getting a dreamless sleep potion for me."

"Oh. Well, you could have said something."

"It was much more fun listening to you practically beg me into your bed."

"Sirius Black does _not_ beg."

"Oh, I beg to differ."

Sirius had his mouth opened to respond, but before he could, the door slammed opened and James Potter strode into the room. Remus entered behind him and closed the door much more softly than James had opened it. He had a large vial in his hand, and Sirius assumed that he'd been successful in finding Nichole.

"They're already talking about it, mate," James said as he moved to the opposite side of the bed as Samantha. "How Moody's student had to be saved by his girlfriend." He glanced across the bed at Samantha. "No offence to you, of course."

"I'm sure," she replied flatly.

"Between what you and Adrien have told me, I don't think I ever want to return to work," Sirius muttered.

"Just tell them that you'd like them to do any better when they're taken by surprise," Remus spoke up.

James snorted. "That won't help at all."

"I'm changing the subject now, Prongs," Sirius said, his eyes narrowed at James. "How's Lily?"

"Let me tell you," James replied immediately, "If you thought her temper was bad before, you should see it now that she's pregnant."

"Perhaps you should stop making her angry," Samantha suggested sweetly, earning herself a glare.

"I don't think that's possible," Remus told her. "James lives to make Lily angry."

"It's not my fault she can't always handle my sense of humor," James snapped.

"No one can handle your sense of humor, Prongs," Sirius drawled. "How far along is she?"

"Sixteen weeks. The morning sickness is in full swing and she's having the oddest cravings. She sent me out in the middle of the night last night for pickles and mayonnaise."

Sirius pulled a face. "That's disgusting."

"It was more disgusting when she ate it in our bed while I was trying to go back to sleep."

"And on that note," Remus said, his nose wrinkled, "I think I'm going to go home." He glanced down at Samantha. "Do you want me to come back and get you?"

Samantha shook her head. "No, I'll come with you. I need to get some sleep."

Sirius sighed heavily. "You're going to leave me here with James?"

"That is an honor," James declared. He went ignored.

"I could stay if you wanted," Samantha said softly.

Sirius shook his head, brushing his fingers down her arm. "No, go get some sleep."

"Alright." She leaned down and gave him a quick kiss, pay no attention to the gagging noises James began to make. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay."

He watched Samantha leave the room with Remus and then he turned his attention to James. "You have the maturity level of a grape fruit."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Neither do you, mate."

James snorted. He stayed another hour until he felt he needed to get back to Lily. Sirius didn't mind. He chest was aching fiercely and the pain potion would make him sleep, which was why he had been putting it off. Nichole brought him a potion before she left for the night. Before he drifted off he found himself wishing Samantha could have stayed and slept at his side.

* * *

Sirius had to remain in the hospital for another week, much to his displeasure. Towards the end of the week, he began to feel better. Tired of being in bed, he tried to get up and walk around despite specific instructions not to. He quickly got to see how Samantha treated patients who did not do as they were told. He resigned himself to the bed after that.

When he was finally allowed to come home, his wound was fully healed, though there was a scar in its place that would always serve as a reminder. He was instructed to stay home another week and then he could slowly ease back into his work. Luckily, Moody seemed as impatient as he was. As soon as he was back at work, his mentor had him working hard to make up for the time that he had missed.

By the time mid-March came around, everything seemed to be back to normal.

"Moody wanted to hold duels today," Sirius was telling Samantha one evening. "He decided we needed more practice in it."

Samantha glanced up from the letter she was reading. "Because of you?"

His face dropped into a scowl. "No, not because of me." She gave him a dubious look. "Well, maybe just a little. That's not the point."

"Well, what is the point?"

Sirius shot her a look, which caused her to grin in return, as he began rinsing off the dishes they had used for dinner. "The _point_ is that Adrien thought it was good fun to put me and James up against each other."

"That does sound like good fun. Please tell me you won."

She was seated on the counter not far from the sink. Sirius had asked her who the letter she had clutched in her hands was from, but she wouldn't tell him. He was fairly certain he recognized the writing on the envelope to be Fabian's. He knew there was nothing in the letter he needed to know. She likely refused to tell him because she knew how much it would bother him.

"Of course I did. He never takes it seriously when we duel."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "And you do take it seriously?"

"More than him."

She was still grinning. "So not much more than him."

"Hey," he dropped the dishes in the sink and moved to stand in front of her. "Moody was impressed, I'll have you know."

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she shook her head. "He was probably just impressed that you didn't wind up in the hospital again."

"That was uncalled for," he murmured. He stepped forward so that her knees rested against either side of his hips, his hands moving to rest on her waist. He ducked his head, capturing her lips in a kiss. She leaned into him, making a sound of approval in the back of her throat. His arms tightened around her, pulling her against him. "Why does it seem like we never have time for this anymore?" he murmured against her lips.

"Because we don't," she replied breathlessly.

His hands slipped under her shirt as he slowly slid them up her back.

"Sirius," she hissed. "Remus could come in at any moment."

"That would be unfortunate."

But he made no move to pull his hands away.

"We should do this every night," he told her. His lips had moved to her neck and she arched her head back, her fingers clutching at the back of his shirt.

"Unfortunately we have the Order most nights. Like tomorrow."

Beneath her arms, she felt his shoulders lift in a shrug. "I thought you could skip the meeting."

Her lips turned down in a frown. "Skip the meeting? What are you talking about?"

He did not seem to notice how she had stilled. "I've just been thinking a lot lately. How dangerous it's becoming. I'd worry about you enough if you weren't actively involving yourself in the war. I thought maybe you could not go to meetings. Like Nichole agreed for Adrien."

"What?"

Exhaling sharply, she dropped her hands from his shoulders, pushing at them. He took a step back, his hands dropping to his sides, a puzzled look on his face.

"What's wrong?"

She would have thought he was joking if his voice wasn't as confused as the look on his face.

"What's wrong?" she repeated, jumping down off of the counter. "What's wrong? Do you even understand what it is you just asked of me?"

"I think you're overreacting."

Her eyes flashed. "Overreacting? You can't be serious."

He gave her a lopsided grin "Actually-"

"Don't," she snapped, pushing past him.

He caught her wrist before she could take three steps. "I don't want to fight," he told her as she whirled back around.

She snorted. "You should have thought about that before you opened your mouth."

"Is it a bad thing?" he asked her, his grip on her wrist still firm. "For me to worry about your safety?"

"No, Sirius, it's not." Her voice was frustrated. Frustrated that he did not understand why she was so upset. Frustrated that he had brought the topic up in the first place. "But you can't just start making decisions for me like that. You've no right."

Comprehension dawned in his eyes and his grip on her wrist loosened. "You don't want to quit the Order?"

She shook her head, making an obvious effort to reign her anger in. "No. I don't. I've made a commitment to it and I'm not going to stop just because things are getting worse. And you can't make that decision for me."

He sighed heavily. 'You won't even consider it?"

Her eyes narrowed and she shook her head before jerking her wrist out of his hand and turning away from him. He stood there staring after her, even after he heard the bedroom door slam shut. With a sigh, he finally made himself turn back to the sink to finish washing the dishes. Though a part of him wished he hadn't said anything, a larger part was glad he did, no matter how angry it had made her. Being attacked had opened his eyes to the dangers. It was entirely different knowing they were there and experiencing them first hand. He'd found himself worrying more and more after that until he'd been unable to keep it in any longer.

He took his time with the dishes. He'd watched Samantha do them without magic- as she did with all of the cleaning and little things around the house- that he'd taken to doing it as well. It was useful on nights like that night, where he didn't want to finish right away.

When the kitchen was clean, he slowly made his way back to the bedroom. He'd been stalling, hoping Remus would come home from Peter's before he finished with the dishes so that he could stall more by talking to him. It seemed he had no such luck.

The light was off when he cracked the door opened. She was curled up on her side of the bed and he wondered if she was truly asleep. In the dark, he saw Mica's eyes blink at him. He was quick to pull off his robes and slide into the bed. He hoped maybe she would acknowledge him, but she didn't. With a sigh, he lightly brushed his fingers down her arm.

"I'm sorry," he told her softly, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. "I shouldn't have said anything. I've just been worried lately. I wasn't really thinking. I won't bring it up again."

She didn't speak, or even open her eyes. But she rolled over to face him, resting her head against his shoulder. Planting a kiss on the top of her head, he considered himself forgiven. But he wondered for how long. Despite what he said, he knew the worry would still gnaw at him. He knew there would be nights where it would keep him awake. It was only a matter of time before he would feel the need to bring the subject up again.

* * *

"I can't believe you made me spend two hours in Quality Quidditch Supplies," Lily complained, but her voice held no contempt. It had been her idea for them to spend the day at Diagon Alley for her husband's birthday and she was fully aware of what that would entail.

"Yeah but you saw those gloves. I couldn't just choose. It was a long process of elimination."

"Yes, and it was the same for the pair of goggles and the cleaning kit."

"You can't just buy any cleaning kit, you know," he said, wrapping his arm around her waist, his hand coming to rest on her swollen belly. "Only the best will do for my broom."

"And when was the last time you rode that broom, James?"

He snorted, and then his steps paused. "Y'know…I can't remember."

She looked up at him, a big smile on her face. "And yet look how much money you spent on it."

He shrugged. "I miss it. Maybe I'll see if Sirius wants to go to my parent's house next weekend and play a few matches."

"You both could use the break."

"I think he's been more stressed than me," he said quietly. "At least that's what it sounds like from what Sam tells me."

"He's just had a lot going on lately," Lily told him. "And you've always got the excitement for the baby in the back of your mind."

James grinned at her. "I'll definitely get to fly when the baby gets big enough. He'll be a fantastic quidditch player, just like his daddy."

Her lips turned downward in a frown. "What makes you think the baby is a boy?"

"Lily, please. It's my baby. It's going to be a boy."

Her hands came to rest on her stomach. "Either way, no baby of mine will be risking breaking their neck on a broomstick."

"You've been talking to Sam," James said flatly.

"Believe it or not, I've got a mother's instinct all on my own. I don't need someone petrified of brooms to tell me how dangerous they are."

"_Dangerous_. Give me one example."

"Sirius wound up in the hospital wing for three days."

There was a pause. "Okay, there was that one time. But that doesn't mean it'll happen to our kid."

Lily sighed. "Why don't we wait until the baby's here before we make decisions for the rest of his or her life?"

"As long as they become a quidditch star, I don't care what they do for the rest of their lives. Except Slytherin. No child of mine will be put in Slytherin."

They debated whether or not they wanted to eat out. In the end, they decided they preferred to pick up food and take it home to eat it together, perhaps while tangled together on the couch. After a debate, Lily's cravings won out and James gave in to picking up Thai from a place not too far from their house. He didn't even care by the time they walked through their front door. He was so hungry, he'd eat whatever was placed in front of them.

They didn't notice the letter. Not at first. Lily headed straight to the loo when they walked inside. James had a bad habit of not turning the lights on, and in the near-dark, he set the food down on the counter and began rummaging around for silverware. It was only when Lily flipped on the light that the letter leaning against the vase of flowers on the table was noticed.

"What's this?" she asked, stepping up to the table and picking the letter up, turning it over in her hands.

There was no indication of who it was from. 'The Potters' was written on the envelope in an elegant hand.

"Let me see," James said, coming over and taking the letter when it was offered to him. "I don't recognize the handwriting."

He ripped the envelope opened and slid the letter out, unfolding the parchment. He was not reading the letter long before he sucked in his breath sharply.

"What is it?" Lily asked, a frown on her face.

"A letter," James said softly, his voice barely a whisper. "From Voldemort."

"_What_?"

She grabbed the parchment from her hands, her green eyes frantically scanning over the letter. "What in Merlin's name…"

"Well, it appears to me that Lord Voldemort has sent us a formal letter requesting for us to join him in his war."

"Does he really think we'll accept this? What makes him think we want anything to do with him?"

"I'm fairly certain he's well aware of that," James muttered. "But I don't think he cares. He wants us for our talent, nothing more. See here?" He pointed at a part towards the end. "He says that we'll be rewarded in return. He thinks he can bribe us to join him."

Lily stared at the letter for a long moment. "Burn it," she finally said sharply, already moving into the sitting room to light a fire.

"What?" James followed her, the letter clutched tightly in his hands. "Don't you think we should hold onto it?"

"_Why_? It's not as if we plan on accepting."

"Of course not but don't you think Moody would want to see it? Dumbledore?"

"James," Her voice was soft, almost uncertain. "I've got a baby on the way. _We've_ got a baby on the way. I know they won't spread it around, but if we share it with anyone, it'll get out somehow. Someone will know. And I don't know how, and perhaps I'm going mad with overprotectiveness for this child already, but somehow, this could be a danger for it. For us."

"You want to burn the letter?"

"And keep it between us. We don't plan on accepting. He'll know that when we don't acknowledge it."

"Is it…a good idea?" he asked hesitantly.

She shrugged. "Voldemort already hates us. We're probably towards the top of his list. What's one more offence? Honestly, at this point I don't care anymore. It's getting old, living in this fear. So let's stop doing it and just enjoy our lives, however long they're going to be. Because we're going to have a child and that's all that matters to me anymore. That and you."

James wrapped his arms around her tightly, pressing his face into her hair. "I didn't think I could ever love you any more, Lily Evans," he breathed. "But I think I just fell even more in love with you."

Against his shoulder, she smiled. "It's Potter now, you know."

He shrugged. "You've always been my Lily Evans."

They watched the letter burn together while they ate their dinner. Neither one felt regret afterwards. They had come to terms with their decision. That was all that matter. That and the child that was growing inside of Lily. As long as they had that child, they had everything they needed.

* * *

James and Lily kept the letter to themselves just as they promised each other they would. They did not even tell their closest friends. Soon, it was at the back of their minds, a memory that felt more like a dream.

On April the eleventh, Sirius pulled his motorbike along the curb in front of their flat before cutting of the engine. Samantha had a tight hold of his waist and only after the engine fully died did she slowly release him and climbed off the bike.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Sirius asked as he kicked the kickstand down before swinging his leg over.

"If I say no, will you make me do it again?" she asked, wrapping her cloak tightly around herself. It may have been spring but the night air was still chilly.

"Not unless you want to," he promised, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they made their way towards their building. It was Samantha's birthday and they had just gone out to dinner. They'd both agreed they did not want to walk as they had last time. Sirius suggested they take his motorbike. She had only agreed when he promised to not drive too fast and that the tires would not leave the ground. "Did you have fun tonight?"

"Of course I did," she replied, pressing closer to his side in an attempt to escape the cold. "Did you think I wouldn't?"

He shook his head. "No. I just want to outdo James and his party tomorrow."

She sighed in response. Just the two of them had celebrated that night, but James and Lily were throwing a small get together at their house the next evening.

They made their way into the building and up the stairs to their door. While Sirius fished around for the key, Samantha leaned against the wall.

"Do you have any other plans for the evening?"

He glanced up at her, a sly grin spreading across his face. "I could probably come up with a few things," he said, moving to stand in front of her, placing his hands on the wall on either side of her head. Leaning down, he closed the distance between them and kissed her gently. Her hands moved to his chest as their kiss increased in intensity. His hands slipped to her waist as he pressed against her, pinning her to the wall. She slid her hands up his chest to his shoulders before hooking them behind his neck as his hands moved down to her waist.

"We should probably move this inside," she breathed.

With a sigh, Sirius reluctantly pulled away and began digging for the key again. Finally locating it, he opened the door and gestured at Samantha to go in first. She slipped inside and he followed, closing the door behind him.

"Where were we?" he asked as she turned back towards him.

She stepped closer, wrapping her arms around his neck, lifting her face close to his.

"I think we were somewhere around here," she said before kissing him.

He wrapped his arms back around her in response, a moan sounding in the back of his throat. They began to slowly step towards the bedroom. For once, they did not have to worry about Remus being around. He was at James and Lily's and would not be home until later.

As they made their way down the hallway, Sirius's hands peeled off Samantha's cloak before shrugging out of his own. By the time they reached their bedroom door, half of the buttons on Sirius's robes were undone. He had begun fumbling with the buttons on the back of Samantha's dress robes, but so far he had been unsuccessful.

"Having trouble?" she teased breathlessly.

"You wore a bloody difficult dress on purpose," he accused her.

"I did no such thing."

Sirius had just shouldered the door open when a tapping noise filled the flat. They ignored it at first, but when it became more insistent, they broke apart reluctantly.

"What the hell is that?" Sirius muttered irritably.

It did not take long for them to locate the source of the tapping. There was an owl at hallway window tapping its beak on the glass, a letter tied to its leg. Samantha moved forward and opened the window so that the owl could rest on the windowsill. As soon as she'd removed the letter, the owl took off and she shut the window

"Who's it from?" Sirius asked as she opened the envelope.

"Dumbledore," she replied as she scanned over the short letter. "He says he wants to hold an emergency meeting tomorrow night. Something about another tip off. James will be upset that his party's going to be interrupted."

When Sirius did not reply, she glanced up from the letter. He had a pensive look upon his face as he stared at the wall.

"Sirius?"

He was silent for a long moment before he quietly said, "I don't want you to go."

Her eyes closed as a sudden frustration built up inside her. "_Merlin_, Sirius, not this again."

"I'm sorry, Sam," he exclaimed. "But it's dangerous. People are dying every day and we're right in the middle of it. I don't want to lose you."

"I understand, but we knew this was going to be dangerous. It's not as if we went in blind."

"But things weren't this bad then. Honestly, I thought the war would be over by now; it's been so long now. Now, all it seems we're doing anymore is fighting for our lives. You…you were forced to kill a man and that's not who you are. This war...the Order, it's changing who we are."

"Did you think it wouldn't?" she asked him. "I'm well aware of what it's done to us but it's my decision if I continue to go or not."

He stared at her silently for a moment, his jaw clenched, before he said, "No."

"_No_?"

"No, you're not going."

He turned on his heel and headed down the hall towards the sitting area, mostly because he could not stand the look of disbelief that had crossed her face. But he was beginning to not care what she thought. Samantha glared angrily at his back before she began to stride after him.

"You have no right to tell me what I can or cannot do."

He rounded on her, his eyes dark. "I won't have you continuing to risk your life. We've been lucky so far, but one day the luck is going to run out. It's not worth it!"

"Do you even know what you're saying?" she demanded. "Of course it's worth it! We're out there trying to save the lives of innocent people. If we stop, countless people are going to die."

"I'm not saying that we should stop. But people are dying despite our efforts. One person won't make a difference."

She shook her head. "That's not what you told me not two months ago when I killed Wilkes."

"That was different."

"How? How was that different, Sirius? He was on a different side but it's the same concept."

"It's different because I didn't give a damn about what happened to him!"

Taking a deep breath, Samantha glanced away from him, trying to calm herself down, before she replied. "I understand that you're worried about me. But it isn't fair for you to ask me to stop doing something I believe in because it makes you worry too much."

"Life isn't always fair," he said lowly. "You're well aware of that."

Something flashed across her eyes. If Sirius hadn't been so blinded by anger, he would have noticed and he would have stopped before he pushed too far.

"I am," she replied stiffly. "But my family dedicated their lives to the Order, to fighting in this war, and I've always wanted to do the same."

"I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen. I can't keep doing this."

"My family didn't let fear chase them out of the Order!"

"And look where that got them, Samantha!" he roared.

She froze at his words, her eyes hardening. Underneath her anger, his words had wounded her deeply. He had promised. He had promised her that he would never bring her family up in an argument again. The way he had brought them up, so uncaringly…He stood in front of her, breathing heavily, obviously waiting to see if she would respond or turn and stalk back to their room, effectively ending the argument. But she did neither. Instead, she shook her head slowly before shoving past him as she moved towards the door. When it slammed behind her, the silence that filled the flat afterwards was nearly deafening.

* * *

Samantha burst out of their building and paced down the sidewalk, not paying much mind to where she was going. She had the overwhelming need to put as much space between herself and Sirius as possible. She knew how irrational he was when he was angry. She knew he said things he did not mean and that he would feel bad for what he'd said when he calmed down. They'd had their fair share of arguments and she'd learned that it was best to let him calm down before trying to talk things out, because he would not think rationally until he did. But this time was different. It had been two years since the deaths of her family, but the pain was still raw. He was well aware of that. His words had hurt her. She did not see how he could have said that to her at all, no matter how angry he was. She honestly did not see how she could ever forgive him. Right now, at this moment, she did not even care if she ever saw him again.

A gust of wind blew into her and she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself to try and keep warm, wishing she had grabbed a cloak. The sidewalk was crowded with muggles and she dodged around them as she kept up her quick pace. She doubted he would come after her, but if he did, she wanted to be well away. It was nearly eleven on a Friday night. The crowds would be around for a while still. Not that she minded. The crowds kept her from feeling exposed and alone.

As she wandered the streets of London, she fought to keep the tears at bay. She hated not being able to reign her emotions in. But she felt like she was fighting a losing battle this time.

She paid no mind to the time, only concentrating on walking. She'd finally lost control of her tears, and though they were no longer falling, her cheeks were still wet and her eyes still red. It was then that she noticed that the crowds had died down. She wondered if it was because of the time or because of where she was. A few more turns, and she was completely alone. Glad for no prying eyes, she slowed her pace, and wondered for the first time where she was. Not that it mattered much. She could apparate wherever she needed to go.

Suddenly exhausted, she decided that she should give up walking. She would not return to the flat. Not that night. Adrien's. She could go to Adrien's. She drew her wand out, ready to disapperate, when she paused. Adrien would be angry. He'd likely be tempted to go to Sirius as soon as he heard about what had been said. Whatever Adrien would do would be fine with her, but she did not particularly care to hear any more shouting that night. It would be best to go to James's. Though he would be angry, he wouldn't want to storm over to the flat that night.

She was just about to go to James's instead when she felt the overwhelming sense of being watched. She whirled around quickly to look behind her, but no one was there. Backing up a few paces, she glanced around, her wand tightly in her grip.

"Well, well, what have we here?" a voice said from behind her.

Samantha spun around and found herself facing someone she had hoped to never see again. She was unsurprised to find him clad in Death Eater's robes. Her wand was pointed at Rosier's chest in a flash and she set her face into a glare.

He smirked at her, twirling his wand around his fingers as he glanced around them. "Where's Black?" he asked, turning his gaze back to her. "I'm surprised he let his blood-traitor whore out all alone."

"Whether or not I'm alone has nothing to do with him," she replied, voice bitter.

"Have I hit a sore spot? Things between you and Black not going well?"

"What do you want, Rosier?" she asked, ignoring the question.

She knew it was no coincidence that the Death Eater was here. He'd likely been following her for a while, waiting for the right moment. She had been too distracted to take notice.

His smirk disappeared, and there was a dangerous glint in his dark eyes as he trained his wand on her. Her grip on her own wand tightened and she fought the urge to take a step back. Rosier had always made her nervous and now was no exception.

"It's quite lucky I've run across you," he said, taking a step closer. She tensed, but did not move. "You see, someone," his eyes narrowed at her, "killed Wilkes about six weeks ago. He was one of my best mates and I feel like the one responsible needs to pay for what they did."

She should have gone to Adrien's when she was going to. She should have never gone out into London alone, and she should have never wandered away from the busy streets. She'd managed to kill Wilkes, but that had been because he'd underestimated her. Rosier would not make the same mistake.

He took a couple of steps closer to her and she hoped that maybe tonight, she would be lucky. But Sirius's words from earlier rang through her mind. That their luck was going to run out.

"_Stupefy_!"

Rosier blocked her stunning spell looking as if her were merely swatting at a fly.

"Nice try, Dawson, but you're going to have to do better than that."

"_Confringo_!"

He jumped out of the way and bricks from the building she had hit rained down to the sidewalk.

"I'm not in the mood for this," he growled. "_Stupefy_!"

She barely managed to block the spell. As soon as she deflected the spell, she shouted "_Locomotor Mortis_!" in hopes that it would catch him off guard. She felt a small triumph as the spell hit him, locking his legs together and knocking him off balance, causing him to fall backwards, his head hitting the concrete with a loud crack. She couldn't help but smile a bit at the loud, pain-filled groan Rosier released at the impact.

She moved towards him, preparing to stun him. She would not kill him. Not matter how much she hated him, she could not take a life when she had other options. All she wanted was to get away.

"_Expelliarmus_!"

Her wand flew out of her hand and she whirled around to see another Death Eater catch her wand in his hand. Avery.

"What's wrong, Evan?," the sandy-haired Death Eater asked. "Can't handle one little witch by yourself? _Finite_."

Released from the curse, Rosier pulled himself to his feet with a grunt, bending down to pick up his wand. His angry gaze turned to Samantha, and she took several steps back. She was unarmed now. There was nothing else she could do.

Rosier began to stride towards her and she backed up more quickly, wanting to keep as much distance between them as she could. Her heart sunk when her back eventually hit a wall. She was trapped. Unable to do anything else, she glared at them both as they continued to approach. Rosier reached her first. Avery hung back, allowing his fellow Death Eater handle the situation.

Rosier stepped close to her, reaching up and wrapping a hand around her neck, pressing her into the wall. For a long moment, he glared at her, slowly clenching his hand, making it difficult for her to breath. Her fingers scraped at the wall and she tried to shove him away, but he was much stronger and did not even budge.

"What's this?" he suddenly asked. She followed his gaze down to see him grasping her locket in his hand, Opening it, he read the inscription inside. "This from your daddy?" His voice was mocking as he looked back up at her with a smirk. He jerked the necklace roughly, breaking the clasp. The chain fell from around her neck and he held it in front of her tauntingly for a moment before tossing it to the ground. "He's dead." He moved his face closer to hers. "And you're going to wish you were dead too by the time I get done with you," he whispered in her ear.

A sharp pain suddenly erupted in her head and everything went black. Rosier released her, allowing her limp body to drop to the ground with a thud. Avery moved to stand beside him and the two of them looked down at her.

"Are you going to kill her?"

"No," Rosier replied, shaking his head. "Not yet. Whatever it is Dumbledore's doing, she's involved. The Dark Lord will want her questioned. And she may have more uses."

"What about the locket? Should we take it?"

"Leave it. A token for Black and her good-for-nothing brother. It'll make things more interesting."

* * *

**End Chapter**


	44. Chapter Forty Four

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**Here's the next installment! A huge thanks to those of you who left reviews as well as my silent readers!**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Forty Four

Sirius groaned and rolled over in the bed, moving his face out of the weak ray of sunlight that was shining in through the window. Groaning again, he brought a hand to his forehead as he pushed himself up. His other hand came up to his face as well and he rubbed his hands down it in an attempt to wake up. It was too early to be up on a Saturday, but his stomach was clenching uncomfortably for a reason he could not place. He knew he would not be able to go back to sleep. Judging by the sunlight coming into the window, it was just dawn.

With a start, he suddenly remembered the previous night, and he fell back to the pillows with a frustrated noise. He'd still been angry when he'd finally gone to bed, but now that he had calmed down, he could look back at the argument with a clear head. He could not believe what he had said to her. He'd had no right, even as angry as he'd been.

She was not occupying the other side of the bed, which was no surprise to him. He wasn't sure if she'd even come home last night. There was a good chance she had just gone to her brother's or James's. She'd been upset when she left, after all. After she had slammed the door behind her, he'd gone straight to bed, too angry to do anything else. He should have gone after her, but he doubted it would have made a difference.

He pulled himself out of bed and drug himself into the bathroom to shower. He wanted a few minutes to think about what he would say to her, how he would beg her forgiveness. He didn't think he deserved it, and he would not blame her at all if she wouldn't speak to him.

After he'd showered and dressed, still not quite sure what he was going to say, he headed towards the sitting area to peek at the couch. It was empty, which was not surprising. He wondered who's house she was at. He would check James's first, because he was scared to have to tell Adrien what had happened. But first, he would check with Remus.

He knocked on the werewolf's bedroom door and opened it after he heard a muffled word that he could not make out. When he stepped into the room, Remus's head poked up from under the coves, bleary-eyed and blinking.

"You know what time it is, right?" Remus muttered.

"Yes, I'm aware," Sirius sighed. "I just wanted to ask you if you happened to know where Sam is."

"Sam?"

"Yeah." He shifted a bit in the doorway. "We had an argument last night. She left and I don't think she came home last night."

Remus stared at him for a long moment before falling back to his pillow. "Merlin, Padfoot. What did you get mad about this time?"

"Who says I'm the one who got mad?" Sirius asked, voice indignant.

All he received was a blank look in response.

Sirius sighed impatiently at the silence. "I don't have time for this. Where do you think she's most likely to have gone?"

Remus raised an eyebrow. "You must have really messed up if you're this worried." Sirius shot him a glare. "I think she's most likely to have gone to her brother's."

Sirius groaned. "I'm going to check James's first anyway."

"You can't stay scared of her brother forever."

"I'm not scared of Adrien," Sirius scoffed as he turned from the room. "Just of his temper."

He threw on a cloak before leaving the flat. The mornings were still cold and breezy. He'd meant what he said about checking James's first. He hoped she was there, that her brother was unaware of what had transpired the night before. Not that he thought James would let him off easy. But he wasn't likely to murder him. Hopefully.

He disapperated as soon as he moved out of any muggles' line of sight. His pace was fast as the Potter home came into view, his boots slapping against the pavement. His stomach still knotted uncomfortably. He wondered if it was all guilt or if there was more to it.

He pushed his dwellings aside as he reached the door. Aware he would likely be waking up anyone in the house, he began pounding on the door. He did not stop until James called, "Who is it?" from the other side of the door. It was more of a growl, really, a threat to whomever had woken him up.

"It's me," Sirius called back, dropping his fist and stuffing his hands into his pockets.

There was a pause.

"_Merlin_, Padfoot. Do you realize how early it is?"

The door opened and James appeared on the other side, his hair more tousled than normal, his eyes heavy-lidded, and his glasses slightly askew on his face.

"This had better be good."

Sirius shifted his feet. Suddenly, he realized that he did not want to admit what he had done to James. Judging by James's surprise at his visit, Samantha had not come here after all. But he had to ask anyway.

"Have you seen Sam?"

James's brow furrowed. "No," he replied slowly. "Should I have?"

Sirius shrugged. "I'd hoped you had is all. She, ah, didn't come home last night."

James's face was suddenly concerned and Sirius quickly reassured him. "No, no. We had an argument. Then she left."

James's concern quickly melted into a scowl. "I don't know what you were arguing about, but you're an arse, whatever it was. And I won't be surprised at all if she refuses to talk to you."

"I don't care if she does or not. I just want to apologize. And make sure she's alright."

"Why'd you come here first, anyway?" James asked. "She'll be at Adrien's."

"I was hoping she was here."

James rolled his eyes. "Have you ever thought that if you stopped doing stupid things, Adrien wouldn't get mad at you?"

"Stuff it," Sirius muttered.

James sighed. "Let me go get dressed."

"What?"

"I'll come with you. Keep Adrien from murdering you. Talk to Sam if she refuses to see you."

"I don't need you to be my bodyguard, Prongs."

But in the end, after James had dressed and told Lily he was going out to help Sirius with something, they found themselves at Adrien's door. Sirius was apprehensive as he knocked, but he felt as if luck was on his side when it was Nichole who opened the door, looking very surprised to find them at her doorstep.

"Sirius, James," she said in greeting. "Is something wrong?"

Sirius shook his head, running a hand through his hair. The knot in his stomach tightened. Shouldn't Nichole know why they were there?

"I'm looking for Sam."

Nichole frowned. "I'm sorry, but we haven't seen her."

Sirius's face fell, his heart skipping a beat. He looked over at James, who, for the first time that morning, looked worried.

"Is everything all right?" she asked when neither one of them spoke.

Casting one more look at James, Sirius explained briefly what had gone on the night before, leaving out details about the argument. By the end of it, Nichole was biting her lip.

"I think the two of you best come inside."

As they stepped inside, Nichole called for Adrien over her shoulder. They gathered in the sitting room, and though Nichole told them to make themselves comfortable, Sirius found himself pacing the floor. James settled himself into an armchair and Nichole shouted for Adrien again.

He appeared not long after, looking sleepy and confused. He froze when he caught sight of Sirius and James.

"What is it?" he asked, suddenly looking more awake.

"Sirius came here looking for Sam," Nichole told him. "It seems the two of them had an argument last night."

Adrien's hard eyes turned to Sirius. "What exactly happened last night? And you'd best not leave anything out."

Swallowing, Sirius nodded and launched into the story of the night before. He tried to recall it as precisely as possible. Adrien's expression did not change at all during the story, though James rose to his feet when Sirius told them what he'd said that had made her leave. After Sirius had finished, a stony silence filled the room.

"You mean to tell me," Adrien broke the silence, his voice low, "That you have no idea where my sister is?" Sirius wished he would yell.

"There's a chance she's gone somewhere else," James spoke up. When Sirius glanced his way, his eyes were narrowed at him behind his glasses. "We need to ask around. But I find it highly unlikely that she wouldn't have come here. Or my house, perhaps. Anywhere else is likely a longshot."

Adrien rounded on Sirius. "Do you realize what you've done? I knew you couldn't be trusted. I told her to be careful around you."

Sirius knew he had no right to be angry, but Adrien's sudden shouting made anger build up in his chest. It wasn't as if he had meant for this to happen. "I was trying to keep her safe," he snapped.

"And you said the worst possible thing you could to her in the process!"

"Adrien." Nichole's voice was sharp as she moved towards him and grabbed his arm. "Your sister is missing. Perhaps this discussion can wait for a later time."

Adrien nodded and clenched his jaw, making an obvious effort to calm down. When he met Sirius's gaze again, his eyes were still furious, but his voice was calmer.

"She hasn't been missing long enough to get the Aurors out searching for her. But there's a number of places she could have gone. Stay here and contact everyone in the Order, Moody and Dumbledore especially. They need to know what's happened."

He began heading towards the door as he spoke.

"Where are you going?" James asked as Adrien brushed past him.

"To find my sister."

The hours seemed to drag by. Sirius and James took turns fire calling everyone in the Order in the off chance that they knew where Samantha was, and if not, that they would at least be aware that she was missing. There was a moment of hope when James suggested perhaps she had gone to his parents', but the hope was dashed not long after James contacted them. No one had seen her, and Sirius felt the last bit of hope he had fading. He took one last chance, sending Remus a Patronus asking if she had shown back up at the flat. He received his answer ten minutes later, not by Patronus like he expected, but with a knock at the door. Nichole answered it and a moment later, a somber-faced Remus entered the room. Sirius's heart sunk, the last of his hope fading away.

Nichole was in the kitchen when she heard the front door open several hours later. She was washing the dishes in the sink for the fifth time that day. Once they were clean, she would dump them in and start again. There was nothing else to do and she needed something to keep busy. She would have cooked if she thought anyone would actually eat. The tea she had put in the sitting room had gone untouched.

She turned around sharply and strode to the kitchen entrance. Adrien's back was to her as he slowly shut the door. When he turned around, their eyes met, and she could read the answer there on his face. He dropped his gaze and moved into the sitting room, which had been completely silent for about an hour. She was unable to bring herself to follow her husband. She didn't want to hear what she already knew.

Sirius had been staring pensively into the empty fire place when Adrien entered the room. He shot to his feet immediately.

"Well?" he asked when Adrien did not speak.

Remus, who had been seated on the sofa beside him, was turned and looking over the back of the couch. James, seated in a chair by the window, had risen to his feet as well.

Adrien met Sirius's gaze steadily. He had wiped the hopeless look he had given Nichole off of his face before he had entered the sitting room. "I didn't have much to go on," he said, the steadiness of his voice surprising him. "Nothing, really. Except that she left from the flat. So I started there and just wandered around. There's no telling how far she walked, which direction she took."

"Did you find anything?" James asked. His face was white.

Adrien glanced his way. "I came across a street that had some damage to a building. It had been blocked off by muggle police. But no one was around so I performed a forensics spell. The damage was caused by a curse."

Sirius stiffened. Remus's gaze shot his way briefly before he spoke. "We're in a war. It could have been anyone."

Adrien nodded at the werewolf's words. "That's what I told myself, too. Until I found this lying on the pavement."

He held his hand up and something fell out of it that made Sirius's heart seize. Samantha's locket hung from his hand, the chain tangled around his fingers. He stepped forward and shoved the locket at Sirius, who had no choice but to grab at the chain lest the locket fall to the floor.

"I'll bet you wish you'd kept your mouth closed now," Adrien hissed at him, blue eyes flashing.

Sirius clenched his jaw and steadily held Adrien's gaze until he turned and strode from the room. He then dropped his eyes down to the locket resting in the palm of his hand. Suddenly he could not breathe, the house suffocating.

"Sirius…"

But he was already rushing out of the room, the door slamming closed behind him a moment later.

* * *

Adrien muttered under his breath as he poured over reports looking for anything, anything they might have missed. Samantha had not been seen in nearly a week now. Five and a half days to be exact. He counted every second that she was not found. The evening of the day that they had realized she was missing, an Order meeting had been held. Luckily, Dumbledore had already planned to hold one so more were able to show up than if it had been completely last minute. Whatever Dumbledore had wished to discuss was pushed to the side and the night was instead spent discussing what steps to take next to ensure his sister was found. It went unspoken that those who had disappeared in similar ways before her had never been found. He'd been almost surprised that Sirius was there, though he didn't much contribute. He sat in the corner, staring blankly at the room. Adrien had the overwhelming urge to punch him, but he held himself back simply because it would not aid in finding Samantha.

Moody had the Aurors start the search the next day, a day earlier than normal. His excuse was that he hoped that by starting so soon, they would have more of a hope of finding her. So far, anyone taken by Death Eaters had not been recovered. But he wanted to change that. Not that they were one hundred percent sure that Death Eaters had been involved. But it was the only explanation that made sense.

The light touch of hands upon his shoulders drew him from his thoughts. He looked up to find Nichole looking down at him, her face worried. She had been strong over the past week, and for that he had been grateful. She was the only thing keeping him from losing his mind.

"You should take a break," she murmured. "You've been at work all day."

He shook his head. "I've got to go over these reports again, make sure we didn't miss anything."

She sighed. "Running yourself into the ground isn't going to do anyone any good. You've got to stop obsessing over this or Moody will do the same thing to you that he did to Sirius."

For the first two days of the investigation, Sirius had buried himself into reports. He took to shouting at anyone who suggested something he did not find a particularly good idea and he demanded to be involved in everything related to the case. Moody had finally become fed up and sent him home, telling him to stay home until he could calm down. Sirius had yet to return to work, but when he did, he was not allowed to be involved in the investigation.

"He wouldn't dare," he muttered, his eyes dropping back down to the reports in his hands. "I'm her brother."

"Sirius is her boyfriend," she pointed out, moving to sit in the chair beside him.

"It's different. Sirius is also the reason this has happened at all."

"Will you always blame him?" she asked softly. "I think he feels bad enough without having to endure the looks you give him."

"He's the one who started the argument."

"You say that as if we haven't had our fair share of arguments. You remember the one we had last year. I left and went to my dad's for a few days."

His jaw clenched tightly. "That was different."

"How?" Her voice was gentle, soothing.

"I never brought your mom up in an argument."

"You didn't know me when she died, Adrien. It's a bit different."

"He still shouldn't have brought it up," he snapped.

She seemed unfazed by his angry tone. "You're right. He shouldn't have. But I think he's well aware of that. But he was saying it to try and protect her. You can't blame him for that."

Adrien snorted. "If he hadn't said it, she wouldn't be missing."

Nichole sighed. Adrien had been set on blaming Sirius since his sister had disappeared and nothing she said seemed to be able to change his mind. Watching him study the reports for a moment, she changed the subject. "Are we still going to the cemetery on Saturday?"

Every third Saturday of the month, the two of them went to visit his family's graves. They had gone ever since their deaths over two years ago and so far, they had not missed a visit yet.

Adrien shook his head, his eyes glued to the papers in his hand. "I don't think I'll have time. I've got too much to do. Moody has a few leads that we're going to check over the weekend; possible Death Eater nests."

"Adrien," she sighed. "You've got to stop obsessing over this. I know you're worried, but getting kicked off the case won't help her. And Moody's going to do that if you don't stop every once in a while."

He ran a hand through his hair, dropping the reports to the table. "I've let them down, haven't I?"

Her brow furrowed. "Let who down?"

His gaze met hers steadily. "My parents. I'm all she's got and I couldn't even keep her safe."

"Oh, Adrien, no." She took his hand and cupped it in both of hers. "There's nothing you could have done to prevent this. It could have just as easily happened if they were still here. And then they would be right beside you, turning the world inside out to try to find her."

"What if we don't find her?" he whispered, his eyes wide. "Or when we do, what if she's…"

"Adrien." Gone was her soothing tone, replaced by something more firm. "Don't. Don't do that to yourself."

"But-"

She shook her head sharply. "Don't focus on what could happen because it will drive you mad. Focus on changing it instead."

"I don't know if I can."

Pulling her chair closer, she reached for him. When he leaned towards her, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him against her. She cradled his head against her chest and brushed her fingers through his hair.

"Yes you can. You're strong, just like your father was. We're going to get through this."

He did not reply as he drew in a shaky breath. He wanted desperately to believe her, for what she said to be true. They stayed that way for a long while, and eventually, he allowed her to lead him to bed and though neither one got much sleep, they held each other all night, drawing comfort in each other.

* * *

Sirius sat on the sofa, his eyes staring blankly at the wall, a glass of Firewhiskey in his right hand. His left hand was absentmindedly fiddling with Samantha's locket, which he had worn around his neck since they day he had discovered her missing. Two weeks. It had been two bloody weeks since he'd last seen Samantha. The Aurors had been looking everywhere from what James told him, but so far, there had been no luck. Not even a sign. The Order met as often as they could manage, going over any information Moody was able to acquire. But it was to no avail. She had vanished into thin air.

He did not do much more than what he was doing now these days. The bottle of Firewhiskey was on the table in front of him so he would not have to get up when his glass ran dry. Moody had never specified how long Sirius was to take from work. He had no plans to go back anytime soon. What was the point if they would not allow him to help with the search? He avoided Order meetings too, if Remus would allow it. Sometimes he was drug along. But like at work, they preferred him to remain uninvolved and he saw no reason to make the effort to go. He was fairly certain Remus only made him go to get him out of the flat.

There was a soft meow and then he felt Mica rub against his legs. He glanced down at the cat flatly. He had warmed up to Sirius in the time Samantha had been gone. He was not sure why, but Remus suggested that perhaps the cat missed her just as they did. Sirius had scoffed at that, but Remus hadn't paid him no mind. He scoffed at most things people said to him these days.

He heard the lock of the door click. A moment later, the door opened and he heard someone enter the flat. He must have passed another day by. He heard the door close before footsteps began to approach him. He didn't pay them much mind. Maybe if he ignored him, he'd leave him be. He wanted to be left alone more and more each day.

When he had stopped right in front of him, Sirius made the effort to raise his eyes and look up at him.

"Moony," he said by way of greeting, his voice dull, before dropping his gaze and taking another sip of his Firewhiskey. "How was work?"

Remus did not answer as he continued to stare down at him. A moment later, he reached down and snatched the glass out of his hand. Slamming it down on the coffee table, he grabbed hold of Sirius's arm and pulled him to his feet. Not for the first time, Sirius was surprised by his strength.

"Get off me, Moony," he muttered, though he made no effort to pull away.

"No." Remus began to pull him towards the bedroom. Sirius stumbled beside him. "You're going to take a shower and shave. And then you are going to put on clean robes and come in here and eat whatever food I put in front of you." His voice held a finality that even Sirius was reluctant to argue with. "Remus…" he began, but Remus cut him off before he could say anything else.

"Look Sirius," he sighed, coming to a halt and turning to face him. "I know this has been really hard on you. It's been hard on all of us. But Sam wouldn't want you to just sit around and waste away like this while you drown yourself in Firewhiskey. We're still in a war, and she wouldn't want you to ignore it on her behalf. And you know I'm right. I'm well aware you gave her a similar speech when her family died-"

"She's not dead," Sirius hissed, his eyes narrowing.

Remus shook his head. "I didn't say she was. But she _is_ missing. And it would do you some good for you to listen to your own advice for once."

For several long moments, Sirius only stood there silently, staring at Remus, who stared back at him patiently. Eventually, he gently pulled his arm out of Remus's grip and slowly walked to the bedroom. Remus watched him go until he was satisfied that his request was being fulfilled before he turned to the kitchen to find something to cook.

When Sirius closed the bedroom door behind him, he leaned heavily against it, pressing his forehead to the wood. Growling under his breath, he turned suddenly and kicked out at the dresser. A moment later, he cursed as pain shot up his foot, but it was a good pain and so he did it again. And again. He kicked until a photograph of himself and Samantha fell from the surface and landed on the hardwood floor with a loud bang.

Cursing again, he dropped beside the picture frame and turned it over. The protective glass had shattered from the impact. He clenched his jaw as his eyes were drawn to Samantha's grinning face. In the picture, his arms were wrapped around her waist and occasionally, she would tilt her head up to kiss him. He had avoided looking at any photos of her in the past two weeks, but now that he had, he could not look away.

The door to the bedroom opened then and Remus stepped inside. "What was that noise?"

He glanced down and caught sight of Sirius on the floor and then what was in his hands. He frowned and knelt down beside him. "What happened?"

"It fell," was the only explanation Sirius would give him. His eyes remained glued to the photograph.

With a sigh, Remus drew out his wand and waved it at the frame, which repaired instantly. "There," he said softly. "Good as new."

Sirius was silent for a long moment before he rose to his feet. "Yeah," he mumbled, setting the picture back on the dresser face-down. He turned and retreated into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. A moment later, the shower turned on.

Sighing heavily, Remus turned to the dresser and picked up the picture, setting it down right-side up as it had been before. He doubted Sirius would even notice when he came back out of the bathroom. Quietly, he backed out of the room, shutting the door behind him and returning to the food he had been cooking. He only hoped he could get him to eat it.

* * *

Lily turned from the stove as she heard the front door open and close. A moment later, James stepped into the kitchen, a troubled look upon his face.

"How was he?" she asked as he sunk into a chair at the table, dropping his head into his hands.

Clutching at his hair, he shook his head. "Drunk," he muttered darkly. "Like he always is."

"He just needs time…"

"It's been three bloody weeks. He can't hide in that flat forever."

"Would it only take you three weeks?" she asked gently. "If it were me?"

Slowly, he lifted his head out of his hands to meet her gaze. "I don't think I would ever get over it."

"Then surely you can understand."

James scowled. "But all he does is mope. If it were me, I'd bury myself into things to forget otherwise I'd be driven mad. That's what he did when his brother died."

"He tried, remember?" Placing a cup of tea in front of him, she slid into the chair opposite him. "Moody kicked him off the case. I don't blame him, not going to work if he can't be looking for her."

"He could be doing other things," James argued. "We're still in a war. And the Aurors' attentions need to be on that anyway."

Her eyes widened. "James…"

"What?" he snapped, his eyes sharp behind his glasses. "It's true. It's not like we didn't know bad things would happen. I don't know why everyone was so shocked. She's just as bad as Sirius when she's mad. She should have _known_…" His voice cracked as he trailed off.

"You don't mean that," she said softly, shaking her head. "Something's happened. What is it, James?"

"They're giving up," James replied loudly, slamming his hands down on the table. Lily jumped at the sudden noise. "They can't find anything, so they're just going to stop looking. She's still out there somewhere, but they don't care anymore. And now she'll never be found."

"Don't say that-"

"It's true! Moody told me as much earlier. He's releasing the information in the morning, but he pulled me aside and told me. Adrien had already gone home so he's going to talk to him in the morning. And Sirius…well I'm sure he won't be dragging his arse into work tomorrow, so he'll find out the hard way."

"You didn't tell him tonight?"

James shook his head, his face softening slightly. "I wondered if I should. But I couldn't do that do him. I know it's selfish, but I couldn't bring myself to be the one to tell him." He looked up at her. "He's going to be devastated, Lily. Moody won't say it directly, but everyone will know what calling off the search means. That they're going to assume her…dead." He choked on the last word, and she could hardly make it out.

Lily's face tightened and she turned away from him, her hands moving up to cover her mouth. James pushed himself to his feet and was at her side in an instant.

"It's going to be alright," he murmured, drawing her into his arms. "Moody can think what he wants. But Sam's a fighter and I know she's still alive somewhere."

"How do you know that?" she whispered, her hands clutching at his robes.

She felt his chest rise in a deep sigh beneath her head. "I don't," he admitted, his face pressed into her hair. "But I have to believe it. Because I can't consider the other option. I refuse to."

"But what if…" She could not finish the thought. Her voice was so quiet that he could hardly hear, but he did. She did not have to finish what it was she was going to say. He knew. With a sigh, he stepped away from her and dropped his arms from around her, moving them to rest upon her stomach.

"Then we'll get through it together," he told her. "Because we've got this baby on the way and more than anything, we need to be there for him."

Despite herself, she gave him a small smile. "Or her."

"We're not going to have this argument again are we?"

"What is there to argue about? It's not as if there's any way to control it. One of us is going to be right and one of us is going to be wrong."

"Well," James scoffed, "I'm always right."

"I hate to break it to you, dear, but that is absolutely not true."

"Think what you will," he replied, moving to the stove to pull up the lid on the pot of whatever Lily had been cooking. "So what is it you're burning for dinner?"

"Oh, no," Lily exclaimed, shoving him out of the way and pulling the pot off of the stove top. "I forgot about it. I was making you potato soup. I know it's one of your favorites."

"Well," James said, grabbing the pot and dumping its now-ruined contents into the waste bin. "We'll just have to find something else to eat then, won't we?"

Lily sighed and ran her fingers through her long hair. "Yes, I suppose we will, won't we?"

After James dug around the refrigerator, they were able to come up with enough ingredients to make a homemade pizza. After it had been made, they sat on the kitchen floor, the pizza between them and their backs against the counter. The kitchen was a mess, covered in flour, tomato sauce, and shredded cheese, but they did not care. They could clean it up with a wave of a wand anyway.

"We're going to be okay, aren't we?" Lily asked him after they had eaten the entire pizza.

James, who had been trying to clean a smudge of tomato sauce from his glasses with the edge of his shirt, glanced up.

"Yeah," he said softly, sliding his glasses back on his face. "Yeah, I think we are."

He knew that deep down, neither one of them really believed that.

* * *

The next morning, Adrien was sitting across from Moody in the Head Auror's office. His back was stiff as he stared at his former mentor, slowly nodding to show that he understood. He had only said what Adrien had been trying hard not to believe for some time now, but he knew he'd only been fooling himself.

"I'm sorry, Dawson," Moody said, voice gruff. "But it's been nearly a month. The chances that we will find her, that she's still alive, are slim and we need to move on."

"I understand," Adrien said quietly, glancing down at the desk that separated the two of them.

Moody had called him into his office as soon as he'd arrived at Headquarters that morning. A part of him had suspected why and he had come reluctantly. Adrien now knew that Moody had wanted to tell him before he got a chance to read the Prophet because reporters had gotten wind of the Auror's decision to move on and had likely jumped on the chance to report such a thing.

His suspicions were confirmed a moment later when the door of the office slammed open and Sirius Black strode in, his eyes dark with rage. Seeing as Sirius had never bothered to return to work, the Prophet was likely his informant. Even James probably wasn't brave enough to tell him the news. Adrien eyed the other man. He had not seen Sirius since Moody had kicked him out that day nearly a week after Samantha had gone missing. His hair was wild and unkempt, the dark locks brushing his shoulders. He obviously had not shaved in a few days. There were dark circles under his eyes and his face was more hollowed than he remembered. Despite himself, he could not help the small pang of pity he felt. It was clear Sirius had suffered at least as much as he had. He just was not as good at hiding it.

"You called off the case."

Sirius's voice was rough as if it had not been used as much lately. His voice seemed calm enough, but there was an underlying anger that warned that he was close to snapping.

Moody nodded, not seeming very surprised that his student had burst into his office as he had. "I did."

"She's _not_ dead." Sirius's eyes trained themselves on Adrien. "Surely you don't believe this bullshit. It's your sister he's giving up on." His eyes turned back to Moody sharply. "She's out there somewhere and now we'll never find her!"

Moody's voice was calm when he replied. "Her case is not the first case like this, nor will it be the last. They're all the same. They disappear without a trace. So far, none of them have come back alive."

"That doesn't mean you have the right to decide she's gone," Sirius grounded out between clenched teeth.

The door opened again and James quietly slipped inside. Sirius paid him no attention.

"Reopen the case," he demanded, his eyes challenging.

Adrien had to give the Head Auror credit. Alastor Moody did not seem the least bit bothered by how Sirius was speaking to him.

"I can't do that, Black," he replied calmly as he leaned back in his chair. "We're in the middle of a war. We can't look for one person forever. We'll still keep our eyes and ears opened, of course. Any Death Eater we catch can be interrogated-"

"That's not good enough, dammit," Sirius roared, sweeping his hands over the desk and sending everything on its surface flying.

Moody rose to his feet, his face red. "We cannot expend all of our resources looking for one person who is most likely not alive!"

"Sirius," James said quietly, stepping forward and reaching for his arm.

Sirius pulled his arm out of James's grasp angrily. "'Most likely'. What if she is? You're just going to leave her in the hands of Voldemort?"

"We've tried to find her. You're well aware. We can't very well cover every inch of land-"

"So you're giving up, instead. Declaring her dead to clear your conscious. You can't claim someone's dead without any proof."

Moody met Sirius's angry gaze evenly.

"She's with Death Eaters, Sirius. She's a member of the Order, and a Dawson on top of that. She knows things Voldemort would love to know. They'll torture her for information that I don't see her giving them. But eventually, they'll either break her or tire of dealing with her and give up. Both have the same outcome. When she's no more use to them, Voldemort will have her killed. That's how it works. I'm sorry."

For a long moment, nothing was said. The silence filled the office, nearly suffocating those inside. It was broken when Sirius suddenly turned on his heel and marched from the office, the door slamming closed behind him so hard, a framed article from the Daily Prophet fell to the floor, the glass pane shattering. No one even seemed to notice. James was quick to follow him after throwing Moody and Adrien an apologetic look.

Adrien sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead.

"I have to be honest. He took that better than I expected."

Moody grunted in agreement.

"Sirius, wait!"

James hurried after Sirius, who was quickly making his way through headquarters. He did not catch up until Sirius had exited headquarters and was striding through the Ministry towards the apparition room. James reached out, grabbing hold of Sirius's arm and pulling him to a halt. Sirius tried to pull out of his grip, but James held tight. Sirius spun around to face him and behind the anger, James saw something in his eyes that he could not remember ever seeing before.

"Let me go, James," he said, voice low.

James shook his head, his eyes determined behind his glasses. "Not until I know you're not going to do something stupid."

"I'm just going home."

James studied him closely for a long moment. "Are you alright?"

He knew how stupid a question it was as soon as it left his mouth, as soon as he saw the look Sirius gave him.

"What do you think?"

James winced at the bitterness of his voice.

"I know mate," he replied softly, releasing Sirius's arm.

Sirius's face softened and he held James's gaze for several moments before quietly saying, "I'm going home."

"Okay," James said with a nod. "I'll be by later, after work."

Sirius shook his head. "Not tonight, James. Please."

"Alright," he agreed, his voice soft. "But I'm only a call away if you need anything."

With a nod, Sirius turned and continued on his way, this time a lot more slowly. James watched him go, worry knotting in the pit of his stomach. He wondered if Sirius would end up going home as he said he was.

He didn't.

Sirius had meant it when he said he was going home. But instead, he found himself idly wandering the streets of London, his hands stuffed in his pockets and his head bowed low so he did not need to look at the faces passing him by. He paid no mind to where he was going and the few times he did look up, he had no idea where he was. When he grew weary of walking, he sat on a bench in a park, watching people who walked past, wondering what their lives were like, if they were happy. At some point, it began to rain, a steady cold rain that chilled him to the bone. He still didn't care.

It was still raining later when he found himself at James's door. James was the one who answered and Sirius wished he would at least pretend he was surprised to find him on the other side.

"Mate," James murmured. "You're soaking wet."

Sirius may have been crying. James couldn't tell with the rivulets of water running down his face. His hair was drenched, plastered to his face and his robes clung to his skin.

"What am I supposed to do, James?" he choked out.

He looked more lost than James had ever seen him. He wished more than anything that he could take away Sirius's pain, but he did not know how. Instead, he stepped out into the rain and pulled Sirius into him. Sirius bent down and pressed his forehead to James's shoulder.

"You try to say goodbye," James replied, squeezing his eyes shut. He had to stay strong for Sirius.

Eventually, Lily appeared in the doorway and chastised them for standing in the rain. When they stepped into the house, Sirius allowed her to fuss over him as she pulled him into the sitting room and quickly started a fire. He drank the tea she placed in his hands and ate the food she put in front of him. And he thanked whoever was listening that he had friends such as this who would never let him be alone.

* * *

Sirius slowly trudged up the dirt road that led out of the village of Edgworth and to a home that at one time, he had thought he would never see again. But he had a month ago after he had rushed from Adrien's after he'd come back from his search for his sister empty-handed. In a desperate spark of hope, unable to believe they hadn't thought of it before, he'd rushed to the former Dawson home. But it had been as empty as it always was, the thin coating of dust on everything telling him that no one had been there in a long time.

He had just left Hogwarts. That morning, there had been a memorial held for Samantha on the castle grounds. It had been small, with mostly just Order members in attendance. But a few people Samantha had known from St. Mungo's had shown up as well. Dumbledore had spoken and Sirius had tried hard to listen from where he stood between James and Remus. But it was hard to listen when all you wanted to do was block out everything happening around you. Adrien had stood a bit away from their group with Nichole. Sirius knew he still blamed him for his sister's disappearance. He likely always would. But they had been able to agree on one thing. The memorial had been held at Hogwarts because they hadn't wanted a grave marked. Neither one wanted something so final until they knew for sure.

Ducking through the gate, he looked up at the large, ivy covered home that Samantha had grown up in. He'd fled as soon as the memorial was over, needing some time to himself. He'd almost just gone back to his flat, but he knew they would find him quickly there, so he came here instead. In the week since Moody had called off the search, he'd avoided his flat as much as possible, choosing instead to wander London. Some days, he visited Remus at the bookshop he worked at or he went to Liverpool to visit Peter at his shop. He'd decided to move. He couldn't stay there anymore. He had already begun searching for a new place to live, perhaps even outside of London. Remus had agreed to move with him and Sirius suspected it was because they were afraid to let him go alone.

He still had trouble sleeping. He was constantly plagued by nightmares. Some of them were memories of what had already come to pass, back to taunt him in his dreams. Other times, his mind decided to be creative about what Samantha's captors had done to her. Whenever he jerked awake from those dreams, he had to hurry to the bathroom before he lost all of the contents of his stomach. He usually stayed up the rest of the night, a glass of Firewhiskey in his hand. For the first time, he felt as if he understood what Samantha had gone through when her family had been murdered.

When he reached the front door, he rested his hand on the smooth wood for a moment, hesitant to enter the home. It was funny, he thought. He'd never hesitated when entering a duel with a Death Eater, but he couldn't bring himself to enter a bloody house. Shaking his head, he opened the door and stepped into the foyer.

He did not have many memories in this home, but those he did washed over him in an instant. The first time he had come here, he had come with the Potters for dinner. That night, Death Eaters had attacked the home. He remembered sneaking here with James to go out for a day in Diagon Alley. Bringing Samantha over to collect her things the day after her family had died. The memories weren't particularly happy, but they were in a better time in his life.

He headed up the main staircase and turned right, his feet automatically leading him to her bedroom. The only time he had been in it had been the time he had helped her pack her things. The second door was hers and he took a deep breath before stepping inside. Everything was just as he remembered it. The old schoolbooks piled on her desk, her bed still unmade from that fateful morning.

He walked towards her bed. The bedside table was littered with picture frames and one caught his eye. She was younger in the picture, he noticed as he picked it up. Fifteen maybe. Her hair was done in one long braid that was draped over her shoulder. She was working in the garden and seemed to have turned around to find the camera pointed at her. Most of the time, her photograph-self tended to the garden, but occasionally, her surprised face would turn towards Sirius. Taking a shaky breath, he closed his eyes and bowed his head, touching his forehead to the picture frame. The ache he felt when he thought about her was nearly unbearable. They had been so happy together. It did not seem fair that they had been torn apart so abruptly and cruelly.

Setting the photograph back down, he turned his attention to the bed. He rand his hand over the sheets before falling forward onto it, burying his face into the pillow. Merlin, it still smelled like her. Taking deep breaths, he felt his body slowly relax. He could lie here forever. Perhaps he would.

"It will get better, you know."

Sirius jumped and turned over, looking toward the doorway. Remus stood there, leaning against the frame, watching him. Sirius regarded him for a moment before turning back on his stomach, placing his chin on the pillow and looking out the window at the front yard that stretched out below. Even after Elizabeth's death, the charms she had used on her plants to keep them thriving had held, even if they looked a bit wilder than they used to. He briefly wondered what the large garden in the back now looked like.

"Everyone was worried," Remus said softly when Sirius did not speak. Sirius listened as his footsteps began to slowly approach. "After you disappeared so quickly. James, Lily, and Peter went looking for you at the flat, but you've been avoiding it so much lately, I knew you weren't there."

Sirius sighed heavily. "Why are you here, Remus?"

"Because we're worried about you," Remus replied, his voice now coming from above Sirius.

Sirius rolled over so that he could look up at Remus. "How did you know I'd be here?"

"You've been drowning yourself in memories of her," the werewolf replied quietly. "You avoid the flat, but she's always on your mind. And I knew that your memories weren't enough anymore. That you'd seek something more."

Sirius's eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He rolled back over, pressing his face into Samantha's pillow, hoping Remus would just leave him alone. He should have known better.

"You're never going to heal if you keep up like this," Remus eventually told him.

"Maybe I don't want to," Sirius muttered, his voice muffled by the pillow.

Even though Sirius was not looking at him, Remus shook his head. "What do you think Sam would say if she could see you like this?"

He got the reaction he'd wanted. Sirius rolled back over to look at him, his face murderous.

"Don't you dare. I've already got enough guilt without you trying to add more. Don't you _dare_."

Despite Sirius's tone, Remus smiled. "Finally, a reaction from you that doesn't involve sulking." Sirius dropped his gaze to the floor. "But I meant what I said. It would hurt her to see you like this."

He rolled over again, pressing his face back into the pillow. But a moment later, he turned his head to the side. "I don't want to forget her, Remus," he whispered.

"No one said you had to," Remus replied gently, crouching down beside the bed. "But you can't just stop your life. You've got to keep going or things are never going to get better."

Sirius would not meet his gaze. He looked to be so far away that Remus wondered if he was even listening anymore.

"I never even told her how much I loved her," he murmured eventually, so softly that Remus almost missed it.

"Did you?" he asked. Sirius had barely spoken about Samantha since she had disappeared and now that he seemed willing, Remus wanted to encourage it.

"Yes," Sirius breathed after a long pause. "I really did."

Remus fell silent after that. There was nothing more he could say. Eventually, he moved downstairs to give Sirius space until he was ready to leave. He hated to see him like this, so lost and unsure. He hoped more than anything that it would pass.

* * *

Sirius strode briskly through the Ministry, heading towards Auror Headquarters. When he reached the entrance, he showed his ID to the security guard, who nodded him through after a quick glance. Stuffing the ID back into the pocket of his Ministry robes, he made his way down the hall towards his small cubical office. A stack of paperwork was already waiting on his desk and he sighed as he settled into his chair, throwing a quick glance at the photograph of Samantha he kept there before pulling the papers towards him.

It was two weeks after Samantha's memorial. Three since Moody had called a halt to her search. Six since he had last seen her. It felt like a lifetime ago. He found the sound of her voice fading from his mind more and more each day. He would dream about it every night, but when he woke up, it would slip from him right away. The other night, James and Lily had come over for dinner. Peter had been busy lately and had not shown, but it had still been a good get-together. By the end of the night, Sirius had found himself laughing, something he'd thought he would never do again. He felt guilty at first, but he'd shoved that aside. James had been right. He needed to move on. Or at least try.

His hair had grown long, just past his shoulders. It had always grown quickly and he hadn't felt much like keeping it up lately. He'd taken to tying it back to keep it from falling in his face. He hadn't shaved in several days, either. He only really bothered when his stubble began to look too close to a beard.

Glancing over the first report on the stack, he picked up a quill and began making notes. He'd returned to work a week ago. Though his mentor had welcomed him back, Moody would not allow him into the field until he was certain Sirius was stable enough to handle it. So instead, Sirius got piled with what seemed like half the Aurors' paperwork. Not that he minded. Anything to keep his mind busy. Though he was bitter over the fact that while James would become a full Auror in less than a week, Sirius was over a month behind. Whenever James pointed out that this was Sirius's own fault, he felt the urge to punch him.

His head jerked up at a low whistle and he glanced to his right to find James leaning against the entrance to his cubical, a smirk on his face.

"That's a lot of paperwork," James said with a shake of his head. "Glad I don't have to do it."

"Shut up," Sirius muttered. "What are you doing here?

"I've got another for you," James said, stepping forward. Sirius was about to turn him away when he saw how somber James's face had turned. "From three days ago."

"Benjy," Sirius murmured.

Three nights ago, Aurors had received reports of a Dark Mark over a home, a home that turned out to be Benjy Fenwick's . There hadn't been much left of the healer from what Sirius had heard. When he'd first received the news the next morning, he caught himself worrying about how Samantha would take the news of the death of her mentor.

James nodded. "Moody wants it done first. Since Benjy was…you know." An Order member. Something James could not speak about aloud in Headquarters. "They're wondering how Death Eaters are suddenly learned where we all live."

With a heavy sigh, Sirius took the papers from James's hand. Though Benjy had only been the second Order member killed in their home that year, he knew it was still a concern. All Order members had special charms up around their home and where they lived was not well-known information. Moody had begun to suspect insider information and though Sirius thought him mad at first, he was beginning to wonder.

"How are moving plans going?" James asked, effectively changing the topic.

Sirius shrugged. "I've started packing here and there, but we've still got a couple of weeks until we move."

Sirius had finally found a new home for him and Remus, a smaller flat on the other side of London. He'd hoped to leave London altogether, but he wasn't quite sure if he was ready to, so he just had to hope that moving to the other side of the city would be far enough away.

"Lily's all worried about it," James continued. "Muttering under her breath about having to make you two a casserole for your new flat."

"You know, I never understood that," Sirius replied, pushing his paperwork out of the way and setting Benjy's report down in front of him. "Women's need to cook food for someone when they move. Besides, shouldn't Lily be more worried about herself at this point?"

"Asking the impossible, that is," James drawled. "Lily's not happy unless she's worrying about someone besides herself."

"I've made her positively joyful then, haven't I?" Sirius muttered, more to himself. But James had the ears of an elephant when he wanted to.

He looked hesitant before he spoke. "How-?"

"Don't," Sirius cut him off sharply. "Just don't, James. Please. How can you expect me to move on if you keep asking me how I'm doing or being careful of what you say around me?"

James was silent for a moment before he replied indignantly. "I was going to ask how Remus liked his casserole."

It was a lie, a sorry lie, and they both knew it. But Sirius played along.

"You'll have to ask him, I'm afraid. I don't make it my habit to know that sort of thing about him."

"Sorry friend you are," James muttered, ducking at the paper ball Sirius chucked at his head. "I've got to get back to work. See you later."

"Yeah," Sirius mumbled. It was easy for James to say. He wasn't stuck in the office all day. At least Sirius had the afternoon to look forward to. Moody trained him one-on-one in the afternoons if the Head Auror was in the office and not out investigating some report. It wasn't much, but it was the best distraction Sirius had found yet. And these days, he could use all of the distraction he could get or he was afraid he'd go mad.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	45. Chapter Forty Five

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: So I've got a bit of news regarding updates to this story. First, I want to make it very clear that I am NOT abandoning this story. I plan to finish this one AND the second part that will come after. This news has to do with NaNoWriMo. Perhaps you've heard of it. If not, it stands for National Novel Writing Month in which a writer challenges themself to write a 50,000 original story in thirty days over the course of November. I know this is very late notice regarding this, but I literally just decided to do this this week because of a dream I had. Considering the amount of words I'm expected to write this month, there is no way I'll be able to work on both stories, so I'm putting this one aside. Just for the month of November. I don't know when I'll be back for sure. My final exams are over the fifth of December, so I would look for an update sometime not long after that but I could post sooner. I left this chapter off at what I view as a good ending so you don't have to suffer with a cliffhanger for the next month. This story is very close to getting finished. I had hoped to finish by the end of the year but with taking November off, I'm not sure if that goal will be met. But we are getting very close now. And as I said, there is a second part coming after. I will miss this story and there will probably be days I'll have to fight the urge to work on it. See you all on the other side of November! **

**If any of you are interested in keeping up with my progress, I'm posting a link on my profile to my NaNoWriMo profile where I will be keeping track of my word count. If any of you happen to be participating, feel free to add me as a writing buddy. **

* * *

James cursed and ducked as a killing curse went soaring over his head. He returned a stunning spell to the Death Eater who had tried to kill him, successfully knocking him out cold. He had not time to revel in his triumph, however. Another Death Eater quickly took the fall one's place. But a spell quickly crumpled that one and James turned to find Adrien lowering his wand. The two of them nodded at each other before turning their attention back to their surroundings. Losing one's concentration could quickly end in hours ago, James had been about to head home for the evening. And then, Moody had received the tip. Death Eaters had been spotted coming and going from a country home in Derbyshire. No one ever questioned how Moody found out these things. But apparently Death Eaters had been using the home as a sort of meeting spot for months. The Aurors had to move fast, as they always did with a tip, in case the Death Eaters somehow got word and abandoned the home. A quick plan had been devised and then those going along had departed.

The home was an old two-story stone house secluded in the rolling hills of the country. A good place for Death Eater meetings, James had thought when he'd first glimpsed it. There were no other homes in sight and again, he'd wondered where Moody had gotten this information.

James did not notice when the Death Eaters began to dwindle. Not at first. But then he realized that when he finished with one, another did not take their place quite as quickly. Glancing around, he realized that the Aurors were now outnumbering the Death Eaters.

A curse hit him in the wand arm then, slicing his skin open. He cursed loudly at the fire that shot through his arm, causing him to drop his wand. Spinning around, he found Evan Rosier smirking at him. James glared in response. He had never liked Rosier and was not pleased to be seeing him now. Rosier sent another curse his way and James ducked at the last moment, using the opportunity to grab his wand. He sent a stunning spell at him as he stood back up, though he was tempted to cast a more damaging curse. But Moody's orders were strict. It didn't matter. Rosier blocked the curse either way.

"I hear Black hasn't been doing too well," Rosier called. "I see he hasn't come along."

"That's not any of your business," James growled.

Rosier shrugged. "It might be more my business then you think."

James blinked and was about to ask him what the hell he was talking about when he heard Moody call out. James only turned away for a second. But when he turned back, Rosier was gone, having disapperated with the other Death Eaters, which was why Moody had called out in the first place. But a few had been incapacitated, including the one James had stunned. Already, Aurors were taking their wands and putting handcuffs on them to take them back to Headquarters for questioning. Then a trial would be held and they would likely all end up in Azkaban. He didn't recognize any of their faces, but Moody seemed pleased enough with the outcome. Ensnaring a Death Eater was a rare thing and today, they had three.

"Check the house," Moody called. "Make sure they're all gone. Look everywhere. They might have left something of value behind."

James caught sight of Adrien slipping handcuffs on the Death Eater James had knocked out and began to head towards him when Moody's voice stopped him.

"Potter," the Head Auror barked, causing James to jump. "There's a set of stairs over here. The basement, most like. You and Longbottom go take a look around."

James moved to where Moody had pointed towards, glancing down a steep staircase that had been hidden behind an old wooden door. It was dark and he could not see the bottom. Frank moved up behind him to peer over his shoulder.

"After you," he told James, gesturing down the stairs.

James shot him a look, which only earned him a grin in return, before lighting up the tip of his wand and stepping onto the first stair. It creaked under his weight and wincing, he took care with his steps, willing the stairs to hold.

"If I fall, I'm holding you entirely responsible," he muttered to Frank, who he could hear begin to follow him down.

"It's better than being the one who fell," Frank retorted.

James sighed with relief when his feet found the stone floor of the basement. Frank joined him a moment later.

"Cheery place," the other Auror said as they glanced around.

The floor and walls were both concrete and there was a dampness in the air. Something was dripping towards the back of the room. There wasn't much down there. A chair turned over in the middle of the floor, empty potion vials on a table against the far wall.

"Whatever they're doing down here, I'll bet it's nothing pleasant," James murmured, stepping further into the room.

"It doesn't look like they do much down here in any case. I heard Bennett saying that there was a lot upstairs. It's bloody cold down here, anyway. Why would they meet down here?"

James shrugged. "I thought Death Eaters couldn't feel the cold."

Frank snorted. "I thought that was just Voldemort."

"There's nothing down here. Let's brave the stairs again."

James was on the first step when Frank's voice stopped him. He was pointing at a door that, in the dark basement, they had not seen before.

"Think we should look in there?" Frank asked him, his eyebrows raised. "If it's anything like the rest of the basement, there's not much in it."

"Might as well," James replied. "You look. I had to go down the stairs first."

"Oh, is that how we're doing things?" But Frank stepped up to the door anyway. When he tried to open it, he found it locked and he frowned. "Think there's something they're trying to hide?" he asked, unlocking the door with his wand.

"I think if they were trying to keep us out, it'd be more than just locked," James replied as Frank stepped inside.

"It's not much," Frank called to him. "A large closet. It seems to be empty."

"Then let's go," James called back, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his robes. Frank had been right. It was bloody cold down here. Frank did not answer right away and James frowned deeply. "Longbottom? Can you hurry it up?"

"James." Frank's voice was suddenly hesitant. "You might want to come here."

There was something in the other Auror's voice that James did not like, and he was quick to step down and stride across the basement to the closet. It too had concrete floors and walls. Frank was kneeling on the ground in the far corner. It seemed like he was kneeling next to a bundle of something and James thought maybe they had found something for Moody after all. But when he stepped closer and got a good look at it, he could swear his heart stopped.

Frank was still in the process of turning her over, moving very slowly to not harm her more. When he gently set her on her back, her head fell limply to the side and James got his first good look at her face.

"Sam…"

In an instant, James was across the room and at her side. Surely his eyes were playing tricks on him. He had accepted that he would never see her again, yet here she was. But…

"Is she…?"

"She's alive," Frank replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I checked before I called you. But she doesn't look good."

That was an understatement. It was hard to see in the dim light of their wands, but her face was completely white and a lot thinner than James remembered. Her hair was a tangled mess and the robes she wore were dirty and torn and hung off her body in a way that suggested that they were several sizes too large.

"Get Adrien," James heard himself say.

He must have said it too quietly, because Frank said, "What?"

"Adrien," he said louder, only realizing when Frank jumped that he must have shouted. "Go get Adrien."

He listened as Frank scrambled to his feet and hurried from the basement. Only then did he allow himself to touch her, to make sure for himself that she was real. Brushing his hand down her pale cheek, he flinched. Her skin was like ice.

"My God," he whispered, his voice shaky. "What have they done to you?"

Footsteps began pounding down the staircase and James winced, wondering if they would hold. A moment later, Adrien burst into the basement. He stopped dead when he caught sight of his sister. James didn't blame him. He wouldn't have been sure either, if someone had come and told him Samantha Dawson was in the basement.

James moved aside to allow Adrien to kneel beside her. He watched Adrien's eyes glance her over, noticed how his face paled when he got a good look at her.

"Kiwi," Adrien whispered, pressing his hand to her forehead. "I never thought…"

James grasped at the sleeve of his robes, and Adrien's attention turned towards him. "We've got to get her to a healer. St. Mungo's…"

"No," Adrien replied, looking thoughtful. "Hogwarts. Hogwarts will be safer, more private."

James nodded. It made sense. "Do you want to…?"

Adrien looked torn for a moment before he shook his head. "You take her. I'm going to go home and get Nichole. I have a feeling Madame Pomfrey will want some help."

"Okay."

Adrien moved out of the way and, moving carefully, James slid his arms underneath her, lifting her into his arms as gently as he could. He winced as he stood. He hardly felt her weight in his arms at all and it just made him want to get her to a healer even faster.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Adrien told him, pressing a kiss to his sister's cheek, adjusting her head so that it rested against James's shoulder. "Take care of her."

With a nod to show he understood, James disapperated.

* * *

James would never understand how Dumbledore always seemed to be one step ahead. Madame Pomfrey had been waiting for him in the entrance hall. She'd looked over Samantha worriedly before leading the way to the hospital wing, explaining that Dumbledore was presently absent from the castle.

When they reached the hospital wing, the healer directed him to a bed at the back of the wing, the one closest to her office. It had already been surrounded by curtains. James knew that the students still had a week of school left and that they would need all of the privacy they could get. Luckily, there was only one student occupying the wing, and they were sound asleep. Briefly wondering what time it was, he ducked through the curtains and carefully lay her out on the bed.

Madame Pomfrey already had several candles lit and in the better lighting, he could see Samantha a lot better. She was pale, yes, but the majority of her skin was heavily bruised, something he'd been unable to see before in the dim light. There were smudges of dirt on her face and on what he could see of her arms. Her hair was a mess, a tangled nest down her back from weeks of being unkempt.

He wondered if he should leave when Madame Pomfrey stepped through the curtains, a damp cloth in her hands which she shoved at James.

"Mister Dawson has gone to get his wife, yes? I'll need your help until she gets here. I'd like to have her cleaned up a bit and analyzed so when Missus Dawson arrives, we can get to work."

He nodded. Madame Pomfrey moved to the other side of the bed and looked Samantha over. "First, this hair," she said. "I'm afraid it's going to get in the way. And in that state, there's not much I can do about it." She gestured at him to move closer. "Can you lift her up, Mister Potter?"

Setting the cloth down on the bedside table, he gently slid his arms beneath her back and lifted her off of the bed. He wondered what the healer would do just as she whipped out her wand and with a slashing motion, cut Samantha's hair up to her shoulders. Unable to help himself, James winced as the knot of hair fell away. Samantha had always worn her hair long and he couldn't help but wonder how she would feel to find it so short.

"Alright, set her back down now," Madame Pomfrey told him after she had made the hair disappear with another wave of her wand. "I'm going to analyze her, see what exactly we need to do. I want you to take that cloth and start getting the dirt off of her. There's not much else we can do until the Dawsons arrive."

James nodded and picked up the cloth. As Madame Pomfrey began to run her wand slowly down the length of Samantha's body, he began to gently wipe away the dirt from her skin, starting with her face. The process took longer than he would have thought, but he was scared to press too hard. Her skin was already bruised enough. James was silent as he worked, but Madame Pomfrey kept muttering under her breath. He wished she would talk louder. He'd noticed how shallow Samantha's breathing was, how her hands seemed to tremble occasionally. She was in bad shape and he could not help but think that just because they had found her alive did not mean she would stay that way.

It seemed far too long before he finally heard Adrien and Nichole's hushed voices when they came into the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey's head jerked up instantly and she bustled out to greet them. James had just finished cleaning the last of the dirt from Samantha's arms when she returned, pulling Nichole with her. Nichole gave him a weak smile in greeting, but her gaze was already moving to the girl on the bed.

"Thank you, Mister Potter," Madame Pomfrey said to him as she began to undo the front of Samantha's robes. "We'll take it from here. We'll let you know something as soon as we can."

Knowing he wasn't wanted, James set the cloth back down and ducked through the curtains. He found Adrien on the other side, pacing back and forth, running his hands through his hair. He stopped when he caught sight of James.

"How is she?"

James shrugged. "Alive," he replied, because it really was all he knew. "It sounds like it's going to be awhile until they know anything. But she made it this long. She's strong, Adrien. She'll be alright."

"I hope so," he sighed in response.

James looked at him for a long moment. "You know I've got to go get Sirius," he eventually said quietly.

Adrien's eyes hardened, but he nodded. "He should know."

"He's going to want to come here."

Adrien waved him off. "It's alright, James. Just go get him. Put him out of his misery. I suppose he deserves to be here just as much as we do."

James left him to wait alone a few minutes later, making him promise to sit down and not pace the entire time he waited. He did, but he doubted he would actually see it through. He did promise to send a patronus should any new information arise while he was gone. Knowing he was leaving Samantha in capable hands, James strode out of the hospital wing and through the castle. It was a bit of a walk to come and go from Hogwarts. One had to be off the grounds in order to disapperate. As soon as he slipped through the gates, he was gone, London bound.

* * *

Sirius had just crawled into bed when the knocking began. Groaning loudly, he covered his head with his pillow, hoping it would just go away. It did, and for a moment he was hopeful that whoever it was had gone away, but then it began again, this time more insistent. Sighing loudly, he threw the covers off and pushed himself out of the bed, stumbling out into the hallway. The flat was dark; Remus had already gone to bed. He hurried across the sitting room to get to the door before the knocking woke Remus, cursing as he stumbled over a box that he had been packing earlier. They were due to move next week.

Undoing the lock and chain, he threw the door opened. Somehow, he wasn't surprised to see a grinning James on the other side. The last time he had seen him, Moody had just called an emergency meeting to plan a raid. Sirius had lingered, hoping to be able to go along, but his mentor had dismissed him when he'd caught sight of him. But he knew James had gone along.

James's grin widened when he saw that Sirius was only wearing his boxers. "Did I wake you up, Padfoot?"

"No," Sirius growled. "But I was in bed."

"Great," James exclaimed, shoving past him and striding into the flat.

"Yes, please come in," Sirius muttered, shutting the door and turning to face James. "What do I owe the pleasure, Prongs?"

James hesitated. He hadn't really thought about how he would break the news to Sirius once he got there. But just blurting it out didn't seem like the best idea. So instead he said, "The raid went well."

Sirius gave him an odd look as he flipped on the kitchen light. "You've come all the way here just to tell me that?"

James shrugged. "Thought you'd like to know. We've snagged a few Death Eaters, even." He moved to the table and sank into a chair, realizing just how tired he was. "Perhaps Moody will take pity on you and interrogate one."

Sirius had to grin at that. "If only. I'd give them hell. Any we know?"

James shook his head. "I didn't recognize any that we got. Just a few who were there but got away. "

"Well, I'll bet Moody's pleased. Guess that'll mean he'll be in a good mood tomorrow. Maybe he'll even let me start back up in the field again. It's not every day that a raid is actually successful."

"Yeah, it was a lot more successful than we expected."

Sirius nodded. "It's a rare thing to arrest a Death Eater."

James shifted his feet a bit and then blurted, "Something better happened."

Sirius's eyebrows rose. "Better than arresting Death Eaters?"

James nodded and fiddled with the sleeves of his robes. "I hope so." James almost did not want to tell him. He had no idea what shape Samantha was in, not really. What if she didn't pull through? Sirius was finally acting himself again, but James wasn't sure he could do it a second time.

Sirius seemed to realize something wasn't quite right because his smile faltered and his eyes turned wary. "What is it?"

James sighed heavily and brought a hand to the back of his head to ruffle his hair, a nervous habit Sirius had thought had died when James and Lily had gotten together. "Maybe you should sit down."

The stubborn in Sirius's eyes told James he wasn't going to move. "Just tell me," Sirius replied, confirming James's suspicions.

Taking a deep breath, James prepared himself for what he was about to say. And then he dove right in. "We found her."

Sirius's eyes searched his as if he were looking for a trace of a joke, as if he thought James was cruel enough to joke about this. "What?" he whispered, his voice disbelieving. Had he heard wrong? Surely he had.

"We found her, Padfoot," James repeated gently. "Where we went for the raid…they were keeping her there. Frank found her while the two of us were searching the basement and…"

He trailed off when he saw the look on Sirius's face. He wasn't sure what sort of reaction he'd expected. Shock, sure. Likely happiness. Joy perhaps. Not a return of the broken man James had seen too much of in the past seven weeks.

Sirius took a deep breath and then another, running his hands through his hair as he looked anywhere but at James. "Alright," he said, and he hated how shaky his voice was. "I suppose that's it then."

James's brow furrowed. "Padfoot…"

"We can give her a proper burial and funeral now. She'll be put with her family, I suppose. At least now we know."

Realizing what Sirius thought 'we found her' meant, James shook his head and stepped forward, grabbing hold of his arm to catch his attention. Sirius finally met his gaze, though it was hesitant. James hated to see that look on his face again and so he was quick to explain.

"Sirius," he said firmly as soon as he had his attention. "We found her alive."

Sirius's gaze turned wary, but James did not miss the flash of hope in his eyes. "What?"

James couldn't help but smile. "She's alive mate."

Exhaling sharply, Sirius brought a hand to his forehead, his face full of disbelief. James could swear he saw his eyes fill with tears, but they were blinked away to quickly to be sure. "I never thought..." he whispered, his wide eyes meeting James's gaze.

"I know," James replied. "I never did either."

"Where is she now?"

"Hogwarts. We thought that would be safer. Madame Pomfrey and Nichole are with her now."

"I've got to…Clothes, I need clothes."

Turning on his heel, Sirius began to make his way back towards the bedroom. Only James's voice calling his name made him pause and turn back around.

"I just want to warn you," James told him quietly. "She's in bad shape."

Sirius stared at him for a long moment. "But she's alive."

James nodded. "She's alive."

* * *

Sirius quickly strode alongside James as they made their way through the corridors of Hogwarts. It was after midnight and the castle was dark and silent. Their footsteps rang loudly in the quiet halls. Sirius's heart felt as if it were about to burst from his chest. He could feel that he was getting closer and closer to her. He could not believe he was going to see her, that she was here, when he had finally resigned himself to the fact that he would never see her again.

The hospital wing was quiet when they entered. Adrien was pacing back and forth down the aisle between the beds. He paused only when James asked him if there was any news.

"Nothing yet," he replied before continuing his pacing once more, shooting a glance towards Sirius.

But Sirius wasn't paying him any attention. His eyes were glued to the curtains at the far end of the wing. Samantha was behind those curtains. He was vaguely aware of James's hands on his arms, of being guided into a chair. His eyes never strayed from the curtains.

It felt as if they were waiting forever. James sank into another chair, and the entire time they were waiting, he never sat still. First he would shake his legs, then drum his fingers. Sirius had the urge to throw something at his head. He was nervous enough without James's constant fidgeting. Adrien continued to pace.

When Nichole finally stepped out from behind the curtains, Sirius's breath caught in his throat. James rose to his feet and Adrien moved to his wife's side. Sirius slowly rose to his feet as Madame Pomfrey appeared. Everyone's attention shifted to her.

"How is she?" Adrien asked, breaking the silence.

The healer sighed and glanced at James and Sirius before looking back at Adrien. "She's been through a lot, as you can imagine. The Cruciatus Curse was used on her countless times. There's evidence of various other spells as well. They've starved her half to death and I found a potion in her system that was likely used to keep her subdued."

The room fell silent again, her words sinking in. Sirius stared pensively at the curtains around Samantha's bed. Nichole had her arms wrapped around Adrien's waist, his chin resting on the top of her head. After several long moments, James cleared his throat and Madame Pomfrey's attention turned to him.

"But she'll be alright?"

Sirius's gaze remained glued to the curtains, but his attention was on the healer's answer. James had asked the question he had been scared to ask himself.

"She's not quite out of danger yet," Madame Pomfrey replied. "The next several hours will be crucial. But I think she'll make a full recovery. It will just take some time. I'm mostly worried about the effects the Cruciatus Curse will have. Long exposure to the curse can cause insanity. But it's likely they spread the use of the curse out to prevent that. I did notice she's taken some damage to the heart, likely also from the curse."

Adrien made some sort of choking sound that made Sirius flinch. "What does that mean?"

"It's not as bad as it sounds. I won't be able to tell you exactly what it means until she's awake. But likely she'll just have to be careful to not stress it out. Lifting heavy objects, running. Anything that increases the heart rate will need to be avoided."

"When will she wake up?"

"Likely not for a while. She has a lot of healing to do. I'll be keeping a close eye on her until she wakes up. I'll feel better once she wakes up, no matter how briefly. You can go see her now, if you'd like." Her eyes glanced briefly at Sirius as she said this before turning and heading into her office.

Adrien and Nichole wandered towards the doors of the hospital wing, stopping just before them and talking quietly to each other. James turned toward Sirius, who had not moved the entire time Madame Pomfrey had spoken.

"Padfoot," he called softly, and slowly, Sirius's gaze moved to him. "Go ahead."

Sirius shook his head. "I don't think I can, Prongs. I don't think I can see her like that."

James stared at him for a long moment before rolled his eyes. "Too bad." Grabbing Sirius's sleeve, and ignoring his protests, James drug him closer to the bed, stopping only just before the curtains. Sirius glared at him, but it went ignored. "Go in," James told him quietly.

Clenching his jaw, Sirius turned his glare to the curtains in front of him. As the glare melted away, James watched him visibly prepare himself before he took a deep breath and stepped through the curtains.

Sirius's heart seized when he caught sight of her and he stumbled to the bed.

"Merlin," he whispered, his eyes moving over her. "Sammie…"

He took in her pale, bruised skin. She was thinner than he'd imagined and in the hospital bed, she looked small and vulnerable. Her right hand was resting on top of the sheets and hesitantly, his hand shaking, he reached for it. He lightly brushed it with his fingertips, flinching away, but then he was clutching at it, holding it tightly so she could not leave him again. Sinking into the chair beside the bed, he was vaguely aware of James slipping inside the curtains.

"Her hair," he croaked. "What happened to it?"

"We had to cut it," James explained, sitting in the chair on the other side of the bed. "It was so tangled."

"She'll hate it," Sirius muttered.

"I know."

Silence fell between them after that. Sirius would not look away from her face. He was afraid that if he looked away, she would disappear from him again.

At some point, James left and Adrien took his place. Neither one spoke to each other, but they both seemed to accept that the other was there to stay. Time passed slowly. Samantha never moved once, and Sirius never let go of her hand. The late hour got to them eventually and they both found themselves dozing off, Adrien's head tilted back to rest on the back of his chair, Sirius leaning forward and resting his head on the bed.

It was early morning when Dumbledore stopped by to tell them that they were welcome at breakfast.

"Why did Voldemort keep her alive for so long?" Adrien blurted out after they had both declined the Headmaster's offer. Neither one planned to leave her side anytime soon.

Dumbledore did not seem the least bit surprised by the question. Sirius's head jerked up. He had not even had a chance to think such a thing yet.

"I have been wondering the same thing," the older wizard replied. "I doubt we'll ever truly know. But I think it had to do with who she was. The Dawson family was against him from the start. For him to have one of their own in his hands, in his control, was a very rare thing. I imagine she would not give him the information he wanted. But because she was a Dawson, he refused to give up when she would not talk. I think he believed he would one day get her to answer his questions, and he would view that as some sort of victory."

"But he murdered my entire family," Adrien argued. "Isn't that victory enough?"

Dumbledore inclined his head. "But recall that she was supposed to perish that morning as well. At least, I am sure that's what Voldemort had in mind."

Sirius could not remain quiet any longer. "So now's she's gotten away from him twice."

"She has," Dumbledore agreed. "And he's likely not very happy about it."

"So what does that mean for her?" Adrien asked.

"She'll be safe while she recovers at Hogwarts," the Headmaster replied. "And when she goes home, she'll simply have to be more careful. I recommend stronger protective charms that I'm sure Alastor would be more than happy to put in place. She may want to limit her interaction with the Order. Meetings will be safe, but I don't recommend her going out into the field anymore. From what Poppy told me, she may not be able to handle that anymore in any case."

Sirius swallowed. Their argument that had made her leave the flat had been about her lessening her time with the Order and now because of what had happened, she would be forced to do it. A now-familiar guilt ripped through him, and far from the first time, he wished more than anything he could take that argument back.

"But that is best left for discussion after she wakes up. Shall I have house elves bring your breakfast here?"

Neither Adrien nor Sirius were sure if they could eat much, but they agreed to the food. Dumbledore must have sensed their reluctance to eat because twenty minutes later, a house elf brought them a modest breakfast of eggs and toast. A lunch was sent as well, as was a dinner later on in the day. In between, the hours drug by with no change at all. Madame Pomfrey checked in on her regularly, and they were under strict instructions to get her if Samantha should show any signs of waking up. During one of her checks, she explained to them how careful they would have to be when getting her used to food again, how sick it could make her if they fed her too much too quickly. She was starting out with a potion filled with nutrients, which she had already begun to give her. Slowly, they would work up from there.

James came by for a bit in the evening after work to see if there had been any change. He could only stay for a few minutes as he had not told Lily yet. He wanted to wait, to make sure Samantha would be alright, before he told her. With her as pregnant as she was, he did not want to add extra stress to her.

By four in the morning, Sirius had his chair pushed back against the wall, his head resting against the cool glass of the window as he slept. Adrien's arms were folded on the bed, his head resting on them, his breathing deep with sleep. It was then that Samantha shifted slightly in her sleep. In their exhaustion, the movement did not wake them. After a few minutes, she shifted again and then her eyes slowly opened. Turning her head slightly, she murmured, "Adrien," softly. Both Adrien and Sirius jerked awake at her voice, and upon seeing her eyes open, Sirius was immediately on his feet and off to get Madame Pomfrey.

Reaching out, Adrien ran a hand over the top of her head.

"Kiwi," he whispered.

Her blue eyes were glossed over, and Adrien doubted that she was even aware of what was going on. But that didn't matter. She was awake. She looked at him a moment longer before her eyes slowly slid closed once again. Madame Pomfrey bustled through the curtains, followed closely by Sirius, and Adrien moved out of the way so that the healer had plenty of room to look over his sister. Silence stretched between them for several long minutes while Madame Pomfrey did her inspection.

"Waking up is a good sign," she told them both when she had finished. "Everything seems to be as it should be, considering her condition. She'll likely grow more coherent each time she wakes, though it will be awhile before she can stay awake for more than a few minutes. But I think she's going to be just fine, given time."

As the healer left, Adrien sighed and sank back down into his chair in relief. "She's going to be alright," he said, looking up at Sirius, the first time he had voluntarily spoken to him since his sister's disappearance.

"Yeah," Sirius replied quietly, his gaze locked on Samantha's face. He was silent for a long moment before he spoke again. "I think I'm going to go home for a bit, get some sleep. Now that I know she's going to be alright…"

Adrien nodded, not voicing how surprised he was that Sirius would willingly leave her side. "I don't have any plans of leaving, so she won't be left alone. Go get some rest."

Nodding slightly and running a hand through his hair, he cast one last look at Samantha's sleeping form before slipping out of the curtains and slowly heading out of the Hospital Wing, his footsteps echoing in the empty corridors as the rest of the castle slept.

* * *

"Any change?"

Adrien jumped at the sudden voice and glanced up to find James standing on the other side of the bed. He hadn't even noticed the other man enter the curtains.

Sighing, he ran a hand down his face. "She woke up for about a minute last night," he murmured. "Madame Pomfrey said was a good sign."

James nodded and sunk into the chair by the bed. He'd just gotten off work and was exhausted. But he'd told Lily he had to work late that night so he could stay in the hospital wing for a while. He felt guilty, lying to her, but he didn't want to add any more stress to her. The baby was due in just under two months and she already had a lot on her mind. He would tell her, as soon as they knew more about Samantha's condition.

"Where's Sirius?" James asked. He was surprised to find him gone.

"Said he was going to get some sleep," Adrien replied, leaning back in his chair. "Don't blame him. He looked like he hasn't slept in weeks."

"So do you," James pointed out, giving Adrien a pointed look. "Why don't you go home and get some sleep? I'll stay here. I'm sure Sirius will be back soon, anyway."

Adrien frowned. "I don't want to leave her. If she wakes up…"

"She's not going anywhere. With the way you're looking, you'll be asleep when she wakes up again anyway. Might as well do it at home."

Sighing heavily, Adrien nodded. "You're right." Leaning down, Adrien pressed a kiss to his sister's forehead. "I'll come back in the morning I suppose. But let me know if she gets worse."

James sighed and settled back in his chair as Adrien left. He may as well get comfortable. He'd be here for a while. With the more time that passed, the more he began to suspect that Sirius had no intentions of returning. It shouldn't have been surprising. Sirius was likely afraid to face Samantha while she was awake. But he owed that much to her. By ten o'clock, he was contemplating whether or not he should go find Sirius when he heard the sheets shift on the bed. His gaze jerked downward just in time to see her wince.

"Sam?" he called softly, leaning forward and touching his hand to her shoulder. She stilled at his touch and after a bit of struggling, her eyes cracked open

"Sirius?" she croaked.

Her eyes were unfocused, but she blinked several times and her vision cleared.

"No," he told her gently, moving her hair out of her eyes. "It's James."

"James," she murmured as if testing out the name. She blinked a few more times and he watched as her eyes became less foggy as awareness began to slowly return to her. Her eyes widened and her gaze quickly moved towards him, searching his face. He frowned as her face turned mistrustful.

"Is this some sort of a trick?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Frown deepening, James shook his head. "No. No, it's not a trick. You're in the hospital wing." She still looked wary at his assurance so he stood and yanked back the curtains so she could see the rest of the room. She flinched violently at the sudden noise and movement and he winced. "Sorry," he murmured, sitting back down and taking her hand. "I didn't think…"

But she was no longer paying attention. Her eyes were glancing around what she could now see of the hospital wing. He watched as she slowly relax and then her wide eyes turned back to him.

"James?" she whispered.

"Yeah," he replied, a smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah, it's me."

"How did I get here?" Her eyes were starting to slide closed.

"The Aurors got a tip on a Death Eater meeting place," James explained. "Frank and I found you there."

"Hm. Where's Sirius?"  
James hesitated before answering, because he did not really know. But he was saved from answering as her eyes slid fully closed, her body relaxing in sleep. Propping his elbows up on his knees, he rested his forehead in his hands. She hadn't believed him at first, had thought it was a trick. It made him wonder just what the Death Eaters had done to try to get her to talk. Sirius should have been here. He should have been the one to explain. Deciding to do what he had only been contemplating before, James stood. She had just gone back to sleep. He would return before she woke again. Making sure to close the curtains before he left, he strode out of the hospital wing, not intending to return unless Sirius was with him.

When James reached Sirius's flat, he did not bother to knock but instead unlocked the door himself an went right in, slamming the door behind him. Sirius was seated at the table, his face hidden by the evening's Daily Prophet. He lowered the paper briefly to glance towards the door. When he caught sight of James, he lifted the paper once again.

"Prongs," he drawled by way of greeting. "What happened to the common courtesy of knocking?"

"What are you doing?" James snapped, ignoring the question.

Sirius frowned and shifted the paper in his hands. "It isn't obvious?"

James's eyes flashed. "Don't. I thought you came here to sleep."

Sirius's frown deepened. "I did. Or I tried to at least. I ended up having to distract myself."

James glanced around and for the first time since entering the flat noticed that the things Sirius had packed away in preparation to move were back where they belonged.

"There's not much reason for me to move anymore, is there?" Sirius said quietly, following James's gaze.

Instead of replying, James sighed heavily. "She asked for you. When she asked where you were, I wasn't entirely sure what to say. Luckily she fell back asleep before I had to figure it out."

"Did she?" His gaze was back on the newspaper.

Growling in frustration, James reached the table in three long strides and grabbed the paper from his hands, slamming it down on the table. "Don't act like you don't care. Are you really that scared to face her?"

"How can I? You saw her, Prongs. All that is my fault. She doesn't want to see me."

Rolling his eyes, James gave him a frustrated look. "Did you miss the part when I said she _asked_ for you. And your fault or not, she has been through hell. The least you can do is be there for her when she wakes up. If she doesn't want to see you, you wait for her to tell you that."

Silence stretched between them as they glared at each other. Sirius hoped that maybe James would back off, but he wasn't surprised when he didn't.

"Can I at least take a shower first?" Sirius eventually asked softly.

James stared at him for a moment longer before he nodded. He sighed heavily as he watched Sirius make his way towards the bedroom.

"What's going on?"

Not long after James heard the shower turn on, Remus wandered into the sitting room, blinking wearily. James gave him a sheepish grin.

"Sorry. Did we wake you up?"

Shrugging, Remus joined him at the kitchen table.

"I was hoping you'd show up, admittedly. I knew he was avoiding going back, but he wouldn't listen to me. I knew you'd be able to make him."

"Do you want to come with us?" James asked. "You haven't been to see her yet."

Remus shook his head. "I've got work in the morning. I promised I'd be there. Besides, I think this is something he needs to do alone."

Nodding in agreement, James ran a hand through his hair. "I suppose that's true."

"I'll come by in a few days," Remus promised. "When things have calmed down."

"Yeah, that's when I'm waiting to tell Lily. I don't want to worry her. She's irritable enough as it is."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Are you scared of your wife, Prongs?"

"I am absolutely not afraid of Lily."

"Liar."

James shrugged. "At least I'm not the one who's about to have to face Sam."

"Don't say that to him," Remus warned. "You'll never get him to leave the flat."

They spoke for a few more minutes before Remus wandered back to bed. James heard the shower shut off not long after. When Sirius returned to the sitting room, he was clad in fresh robes, his long hair damp.

"You didn't shave?" James asked, standing.

Sirius's eyes narrowed. "I'm going, aren't I?"

"Fine," he sighed. "Let's go then.

Samantha was still asleep when they finally arrived at the hospital wing. Sirius sighed as he settled back into the chair he'd taken to sitting in beside the bed. James did not sit, but stood at the foot of the bed with his arms crossed across his chest. He stared down at her sleeping form pensively for a long moment before he spoke.

"She thought it was a trick," he said, drawing Sirius's gaze. "When she first saw me. She thought the Death Eaters were trying to trick her."

"She woke up not knowing where she was. She was with Death Eaters so long, can you blame her?"

"No," James murmured. "I suppose not."

"What did you say to her?"

"I told her it wasn't a trick, and then I moved the curtains away so she could see the hospital wing. I think I did it too fast though. She nearly leapt off of the bed."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Smooth, Prongs. Very nicely done."

"Shut up," James muttered. He shifted his feet, rocking back on his heels. "So you're going to stay here, right?"

"Yes, Prongs," Sirius sighed. "You're right. The least I can do is be here when she wakes up next."

James gave him a satisfied nod. "Bloody right you can. So I'll go home then."

"You're going to leave me here alone?"

"Course I am," James replied. "You don't expect me to hold your hand through this, do you?"

"I suppose not," Sirius hissed between clenched teeth.

"You'll be fine. You might be surprised."

Sirius didn't answer, only stared at him a moment longer before dropping his gaze back to the bed. James watched him for a moment longer before he turned to leave. He would come by the next evening to see how it went. He was fairly certain everything would turn out alright.

* * *

_Samantha groaned and shifted. Her head was pounding and she brought a hand up to her forehead, rolling over onto her back, ignoring the sharp pains that shot through her head as she did. Cracking her eyes open, she glanced around, but wherever she was, it was pitch black. The floor she was lying on was stone and slight damp. Cold, especially with her clad in only her thin dress robes. Running her hand along the wall, it seemed to be same. Clenching her teeth, she pushed herself into a sitting position, gasping at the pain in her head. She managed to lean her back against the wall as her head began to swim. Closing her eyes, she drifted back off._

_ The next time she woke up, it was to the sound of a door slamming closed. She jumped and opened her eyes, tilting her head back. Someone was standing over her, a light shining from the tip of their wand lighting the room. She could see its size now. It was a small room, dark and empty. The person stepped closer, and Rosier's face moved into the light. His dark eyes were slits as he looked down at her. _

_ "Let me tell you how this is going to go," he told her, leaning down and grabbing hold of her arm, roughly pulling her to her feet. He crossed his arm across her chest, holding her into place. Her vision swam, but he held her up, pinning her against the wall. Taking deep breaths, she willed her vision to focus. "I've been put in charge of you," Rosier continued. "To get information. Whatever Dumbledore's doing, we know you're involved. Usually we rely on pain to get information out of you lot, but you're different, Dawson. If you cooperate, perhaps we could try a different method." _

_ She jumped when she felt his fingers lightly touch her leg. Slowly, his hand slid up her leg to her skirt. When he began to push the skirt up, she began to squirm in an attempt to get away, but the arm across her chest prevented her from moving. _

_ "Let me go," she told him lowly, firmly._

_ He only smirked. "Why? We're just getting started."_

_ His mouth was suddenly pressed against hers, moving against her lips roughly. She resisted the urge to gag. Unable to pull away with her back pressed against the wall, she instead bit down hard on his lower lip. As the taste of blood filled her mouth, he cursed and jerked away. She was unprepared when his fist caught her in the cheek and she stumbled as his arm dropped. She nearly fell, but managed to catch herself against the wall. _

_ "You bitch," he growled, wiping the blood away with his sleeve. "Just remember that you're the one who passed up the easier option. _Crucio_." _

Samantha jerked awake as she always did when she dreamed of that first night. She hated that dream. Her first night had been the worst. When he'd given up trying to get her to talk for the time being, she'd laid on the floor, shaking from both the Cruciatus Curse and cold. She could hear their voices, their laughter, on the other side of the door. Eventually, she'd fallen asleep, but she'd been woken to him kicking her not long after.

Every time she woke up from that dream, she knew it was nearly time for him to come again, to try whatever he had managed to come up with to make her talk. She never did. She wasn't sure if she could anymore with her throat so raw from screaming. But something was different this time. Instead of the familiar stone floor, the surface underneath her was soft. She had a vague recollection of speaking to James, but that had just been a dream. Hadn't it?

Slowly, she opened her eyes. Instead of the darkness she was accustomed to, she was met with dim lighting. The ceiling was high, much higher than the one in her prison had been. Fisting her hands, she realized she was grasping at sheets. Real sheets. She turned her head, expecting to find James just as she had in her dream, but he wasn't there. It was Sirius. Her heart clenched. She remembered calling for him, murmuring his name in the long nights when she couldn't sleep. She had long ago accepted the fact that she would never see him again. And yet here he was.

He had not noticed her yet. His gaze was on the Daily Prophet in his hands. She nearly called his name, but hesitated. She wasn't quite sure what to say. So instead, she studied him, drinking in his face. He hadn't shaved in several days and his hair was tied back at the nap of his neck. She had never seen it that long before. Not for the first time, she wondered how he had felt when he'd found her missing, when he'd likely thought her dead.

He must have felt her watching him because his eyes slid towards her. When their eyes locked, he froze and the newspaper slipped from his hands.

"Sammie," he murmured, reaching towards her. He hesitated, and then ran his hand over the top of her hair. She closed her eyes at his touch. When she felt his hand move away, she reopened them. His gaze was turned away from her, his jaw clenched tightly.

"Sirius," she said softly when he did not turn back to her. Her voice was rough from not being used. He flinched at his name and slowly turned back to face her.

"You can ask me to leave if you want," he told her, not quite meeting her gaze. "I wouldn't blame you."

She frowned deeply. "Why would I ask you to leave?"

He did not answer right away. She could see him debating with himself. Finally, he met her gaze and she was startled by all the emotions in them. "Because," he replied, his voice raspy. "This is my fault. Everything that happened to you…If I hadn't said what I'd said…"

"Sirius…"

He shook his head when she spoke. "No. Let me finish. I know I shouldn't have said that to you. It was wrong, no matter how angry I was. I _promised_ I would never do that and I did it anyway. It was wrong of me and I never should have said it. And if you don't forgive me, I understand. But I only said it because I love you. I would have said anything to keep you safe."

She drew in a sharp breath. "What did you say?"

He wouldn't meet her gaze again. "I know it sounds like an excuse. James told me that it did. But it's the truth and-"

"No," she replied, a smile twitching at her lips. "The other part."

He frowned, obviously trying to think of what it was he had said. She saw the moment he realized. His eyes softened and he leaned forward, covering her hand with his. "I love you. I've known for a while now. It was my biggest regret that I never told you. I thought I would never get the chance."

A breathy laugh escaped her lips and he gave her a quizzical look. "I honestly thought that I'd never see you again," she told him softly. "And the one thing I wished I'd done was tell you how much I loved you."

His eyes closed and drawing in a shaky breath, he bent down, resting his head on her chest.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I'm so, so sorry."

Lifting her hand, she brought it to rest on his head, tangling her fingers in his hair. She did not speak until his eyes cracked open to look at her.

"I'd like to just forget about it," she told him softly. "I know we ought to talk about it. But I really don't want to. I just want to forget about that night."

He nodded and sat back up, grasping her hand in both of his, kissing her knuckles. "Do you want to talk about…after that night?"

She dropped her gaze and shook her head. "No. I'm not ready. Not yet."

"Alright," he replied, squeezing her hand. "Is there anything you want?"

Her eyes were beginning to close as sleep threatened to overtake her.

"Just stay with me," she whispered, her hand grasping at his.

"I'm not going to go anywhere," he promised.

Her eyes slid closed and soon after, she was breathing deeply in sleep. He continued to hold her hand and for the first time in nearly two months, his mind was at peace.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	46. Chapter Forty Six

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter**

**Hey guys, long time no see! NaNoWriMo was a success! I managed to write 50,000 words in November. The novel isn't finished, and of course it's only the first draft, but that has no time limit so I can split my focus from now on and keep this story going. Thanks for being patient with me in this small hiatus. This chapter is a little shorter than what I've been aiming for lately, but I thought you guys have waited long enough. I didn't exactly proof read it as I'm supposed to be studying for final exams so there are probably mistakes. Feel free to point any out. But I've found I miss things even when I do proof read. Right now, I'm aiming to finish this story by the end of December, and though I don't think I'll be able to, I'm going to try my hardest. But never fear, there is a second part to come after so it's not the end yet. Enjoy the chapter (I hope)!**

* * *

****Fate

Chapter Forty Six

Nichole was just putting the finishing touches on dinner when she heard the front door open, signaling the return of her husband. He had stopped by Hogwarts on his way home from work and was later than usual. When the door closed, it was louder than necessary and she grimaced. She had cooked meatloaf for dinner and was just placing the plates on the kitchen table when he stepped into the room.

"How was your sister?" she asked as he dropped into his chair after giving her a kiss in greeting.

He pulled his plate of food towards him, but did not move to eat any of it. "She was more awake today," he replied, pushing his peas around on his plate with his fork. "Sitting up in bed. She'd just found out her hair had been cut, so she was a bit upset."

Nichole smiled sympathetically. "It'll grow back, at least."

"Yeah," Adrien muttered. "That's what Sirius was telling her when I got there."

She heard the bitterness in his voice and lifted an eyebrow. "Does Sirius happen to be why you're so angry?"

Adrien's face dropped into a scowl. "He hasn't left her bedside, except for that one time he went home to sleep. Now, he's sleeping over there. Madame Pomfrey's given him a bed."

Nichole frowned. "And what did he say when you arrived?"

He shrugged. "That he'd give us some time alone. Then he left. Went on a walk around the castle, I suppose."

She gave him a quizzical look. "And that's why you're so angry?"

His eyes flashed and he clenched his hand into a fist, slamming it against the surface of the table. "She's forgiven him. Just like that. She spent nearly two months in the hands of Death Eaters and she doesn't even want him to feel guilty about it."

Nichole's frown deepened. "Did you expect her to do something else?"

"I _expected_ her to let him know that what she's gone through is his fault. She may not be saying it, but I know she knows it. I expected her to shout at him at least, tell him how big of an arse he is. Not completely _forgive_ him."

"You expected her to break things off with him," Nichole said softly, hearing what he was not saying. His silence confirmed it and she sighed heavily. "Adrien, that's not how love works. You can be angry with someone you love, but you can forgive them as well."

"Love," he scoffed. "You can't know anything about love at their age."

Her eyes narrowed. "I certainly hope you can, or perhaps the two of us should re-discuss our decision to get married."

His gaze, which had been firmly on his plate, snapped up. "That was different."

"Why? Because it didn't involve your sister?"

"Because she didn't fall in love with a good person."

Nichole shook her head. "When are you going to shove your personal feelings aside and accept that Sirius is a good man? Where do you think Sam would be if it weren't for him?"

"Not in a hospital bed unable to walk or eat anything," he snapped, his eyes flashing.

Sighing, Nichole reached across the table to cover his hand with hers. "If you have to blame someone for what happened, blame Voldemort. She's not the first to be taken, she won't be the last. Just be thankful she's come back. And believe it or not, I think she's capable of deciding what's best for her herself."

Adrien sighed and ran the hand she was not holding through his hair. "I thought I had lost her forever…a part of me still can't believe that she's survived."

"And she's going to make a full recovery," Nichole reminded him, squeezing his hand. "Soon, it will be like it never happened. "

"Will it?" he asked softly, his gaze falling to the table. "Do you think she'll be able to put it behind her?"

Nichole shook her head. "I don't know," she replied. "But don't you think Sirius is the best person to help her through this?"

Pulling his hand from beneath hers, he propped his elbows up on the table and placed his forehead in his hands. "Why do you always have to be the voice of reason?" he mumbled.

"Because one of us has to be," she said with a smile. "And you're too stubborn to do it yourself."

Adrien snorted. "My stubbornness is nothing compared to Sam's."

"You're just as bad as her, dear. Don't tell yourself any different."

For the first time that night, a smile spread across his lips, and then he laughed. Nichole stared at him, astounded, and when he caught the look on her face, he fell silent abruptly.

"What is it?" he asked her, his lips turning down into a frown.

She shrugged and gave him a small smile. "That's just the first time I've heard you laugh in a long time."

For a moment, he looked surprised. Then he was smiling again. "Yeah, I suppose that was. It felt good."

"It sounded good."

Still smiling, Adrien finally took a bite of his dinner. Nichole watched as he ate every bite, something else he had not done in a long time. Despite the anger he had had when he first came home, he seemed to be in raised spirits that night. Not that she could blame him. It had been three days, but it still had not quite sunk in that Samantha had been found. Alive, no less. Though no one said it, she knew everyone had given up hope. It had been a shock, a pleasant shock, to find out she was still alive. Samantha had a long road of recovery to go, she knew, but one day, it would be like all of this had never happened. And despite what her husband said, she knew he appreciated all that Sirius had done for his sister. It may just take him a long time to admit it.

* * *

"When James told me you'd been found…that you were alive and at Hogwarts…I thought it was some sort of crude joke."

Samantha shook her head. "James isn't that cruel."

"I know," Lily replied, shifting in her chair. "But I didn't know what else to think. And then he tells me you've been at Hogwarts for four days and I nearly took his head off with a pot."

Samantha gave her a tired smile. "But you're here now."

When she had woken up a few minutes before, Sirius had told her James had brought Lily to see her. Though she was able to stay awake for longer amounts of time now, she still spent most of her time asleep. Sirius had been good about keeping people from crowding her bed while she slept. She did not particularly like the idea of waking up surrounded by people, friends or not. She was tired of lying down and Madame Pomfrey had given her permission to sit up in bed, propped up with pillows, while she was awake. Not that she could sit herself up. Sirius had to help her.

"And I can't believe how big you've gotten."

Lily beamed and moved her hand to rest on her swollen belly. "I can't wait to meet him," she said.

"Him?" Samantha asked in surprise. "But I thought you and James wanted it to be a surprise?"

"We changed our minds," Lily replied. "About a month ago. We decided we couldn't wait to find out. James still hasn't let me hear the end of it. He's been calling the baby 'him' since we found out we were having one and of course, he's had to go and be right."

Shaking her head, Samantha smiled at the thought. She could hear James gloating now. Once Sirius had helped her sit up, Lily and James had come in. Lily had looked close to tears as she hugged her tightly. Once James had said hello, he and Sirius had promptly disappeared to give the two of them a chance to talk.

Lily's eyes widened slightly and a serene smile came across her lips. "He's kicking," she told Samantha.

With some effort, Lily pushed herself out of her chair and moved to sit on the edge of Samantha's bed. She reached out to grab Samantha's hand and gently moved it to her stomach.

"Feel that?" she asked quietly.

Smiling, Samantha nodded and met Lily's gaze.

"That's amazing," she breathed before dropping her gaze, her smile disappearing. "I feel as if I've missed so much."

Lily took her hand again and squeezed it, waiting until Samantha met her gaze again before speaking.

"It was a terrible two months. Sirius took it so hard and we felt as if there was nothing we could do to help him. James and Remus forced him to eat and take care of himself of course, but he resented it more and more with every day that passed. James wasn't much better. He was only better at hiding it. The same with your brother." A tear escaped Lily's bright green eyes and slowly rolled down her cheek. "But you're here now, safe, and I feel so blessed that somehow, you made it out alive."

"Don't cry," Samantha said gently, reaching out and wiping away the tear. "Please."

Lily shook her head, a laugh escaping her lips. "My hormones made the past several weeks all the harder. I couldn't control my tears, nor my temper. And then I would start laughing for no reason at all. James was convinced I was going mad."

"I can imagine," Samantha replied, laughing as well. "Poor James, having to deal with his mental, pregnant wife."

"Mental, am I?" Lily asked, a playful grin on her lips.

"You have to be mental to marry a man like James."

Lily snorted. "Not as mental as if you were dating Sirius Black."

Samantha smiled at that. "I am rather mental, aren't I?"

"It's amazing, the change in him since you were found," Lily told her softly, fiddling with the tips of her hair. "He looks almost like his old self again."

"Except for that damned hair," Samantha said, wrinkling her nose.

Lily laughed. "Yes, except for that. But I'm sure that will change when he takes the time to do so." Sighing, Lily reached out and brushed her fingers through Samantha's hair. Madame Pomfrey had helped her wash it the day before and cut it more evenly. It just brushed her shoulders and she found herself running her fingers through it nearly constantly, as if that alone would be enough to make it grow faster.

"It'll grow back," she said with a tight smile. "I know I shouldn't care. I should just be thankful to be alive."

"Short hair suits you," Lily told her.

Samantha shook her head. "I hate it. I only wish it would grow quickly."

"Not that quickly, I'm afraid." Lily patted her knee. "It'll take a while."

"I know," she sighed. "Sirius says he likes it. I told him if he liked short hair so much, he needed to get on with fixing his."

"Has he left Hogwarts at all?" Lily asked her. She was not all that surprised when Samantha shook her head.

"No. He's not left since we first spoke. Madame Pomfrey's letting him sleep there." She nodded at the bed next to her. The curtains had been moved to surround that bed as well because Sirius had refused to sleep on the other side of the curtains where he could not see her. "I'm trying to get him to return to work, though. I hate that he's fallen behind."

"James becomes a full Auror next week. Can you believe it?"

"I really can't," Samantha replied. "It's hard to believe. Sirius isn't too far behind, though, so I hope he'll catch up soon. I'm even more behind, but if I can ever get out of this damn bed and find another mentor…"

Her voice trailed off and Lily frowned. "So he told you about Benjy?"

"Adrien did," Samantha replied. "Sirius was going to keep it from me. He got rather angry when Adrien told me, but Sirius is bad about keeping things from me that he doesn't want me to know."

"You'll find someone," Lily assured her. "Soon you'll be so busy, you'll be missing this bed. You're first on my babysitting list, I'll have you know."

"He's not even born yet and you're already planning on handing him off to me?"

Lily smiled and shook her head. "I want him to get to know you," she explained. Her hand moved to rest on Samantha's knee. "James and I want you to be his godmother, Sam."

Samantha's eyes widened. "What?" she stammered.

"These are hard times," Lily replied. "Of course we hope it won't be necessary, but if anything ever happens to the two of us-"

"Don't talk like that."

"-We want to know that someone will look after him. We want all of our friends to help raise him, of course, but we want you to be the godmother. And Sirius the godfather."

"Are you sure?" She was shocked at the request and had nothing else to say.

"Yes. We trust the two of you more than anything. So will you do it?"

"Of course I will," she said, leaning forward to hug her. "I'd be honored."

* * *

"Where did you disappear to?" Samantha asked without looking up from the book in her lap. Sirius had just returned, slipping through the curtains and sitting in the chair beside her bed.

"I was talking to Madame Pomfrey," he said, and she finally looked up. In his hands was a bowl. She wrinkled her nose as she looked at it.

"What is that?"

"Porridge. You're supposed to eat it."

She turned her attention back to her book. "I am not eating that."

"Sam."

"There's not even any milk."

"You can't have milk."

"I'm not supposed to eat food."

She was still looking at her book, but she could see the look of frustration that was very likely on his face.

"This is us trying to fix that," he told her, and she was impressed with how calm he sounded. "She said you had to eat some of it."

Her stomach churned at the thought. "I don't want to."

He gave her a frustrated sigh and her book suddenly disappeared from her lap. She turned to glare at him just in time to see him toss it onto the other bed, where he knew she could not reach on her own.

"You can have it back when you eat. I know it's been a long time, that it'll make you feel sick. But it's not going to get better if you don't start eating something. She said it'll get easier the more you eat."

She stared at him for a long moment, and he had just begun to think she would give in when she shook her head. "No."

"_Sam_."

He was contemplating pinning her down and forcing her to eat it when they heard footsteps entering the Hospital Wing. The stride was uneven, and one of the steps was a clunking noise. Sirius instantly recognized the footsteps.

"Is that who I think it is?" Samantha whispered. "What's he doing here?"

Sirius shrugged. "I have no idea. I think we're about to find out, though."

A moment later, the curtains parted and Alastor Moody limped inside. Sirius set the bowl down on the bedside table before standing and moving to shake his hand.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" he asked his mentor.

Moody's magical eye turned to scrutinize him. "Well, first of all, I want to ask if you were ever planning to drag your arse back to work or not."

Sirius grimaced.

"I've been trying to get him to go back," Samantha spoke up from the bed.

"I'm going to," Sirius argued.

"Monday," Moody told him gruffly. "You'd better be at Headquarters at eight o'clock sharp Monday morning."

"Fine," Sirius grumbled. "But I know you didn't come all the way over here to tell me when to come back to work."

"I have a few questions I'd like to ask Dawson. If that's alright with her."

Samantha inclined her head in agreement, but before she could speak, Sirius already had. "What sort of questions?"

Moody's gaze turned back to him. "Just about her time with Death Eaters. I want to see if she knows any information that could possibly help us."

Sirius was already shaking his head before he had finished talking. Samantha still refused to tell him about her time away and he would not let anyone else question her on it. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"She doesn't have to answer anything she doesn't want to answer."

"Sirius, it's alright," Samantha said softly. "I don't mind."

Sirius stared at her for a long moment before he nodded slowly. "Fine. But I'm staying."

Moody shrugged and grabbed a chair, pulling it down towards the foot of the bed before he sat down. Sirius moved back to his usual chair, dropping down into it and crossing his arms over his chest. The Head Auror fumbled in his robes for a moment before he drew out a piece of parchment and a quill. Samantha shifted on the bed, her fingers toying with the sheets. Noting her discomfort, Sirius reached out and squeezed her arm in reassurance.

"Why don't we start at the beginning, then?" Moody said once he was ready to take notes. "What can you remember about the night you were taken?"

She was silent for a moment as she tried to gather her thoughts, recalling that night. It felt so long ago and she shook her head as she began to speak.

"I had walked so long that by the time I stopped, I didn't know where I was. I knew I wasn't going to go back home that night," Sirius's gaze dropped to the bed, "and so I decided to disapperate to James's. That's when he spoke and made himself known."

"Who?" Moody asked, his gaze firmly on her. "Do you know who it was?"

She nodded, swallowed. "Rosier. Evan Rosier."

"_What_?" Sirius barked beside her, causing her to jump.

Moody's magical eye briefly moved to him. "If you can't stay quiet, Black, I'll have to ask you to leave."

Sirius did not speak again. He clenched his jaw tightly, his eyes darkening in anger. But he did not speak.

"What happened after that?" Moody prodded once he was certain Sirius would keep quiet.

She lifted her shoulder in a sort of shrug. "He talked at first. He told me he felt I needed to pay…for killing Wilkes. I was the one to cast the first spell. I managed to hit him with a full body bind. I was going to stun him and leave, but I didn't realize there was someone else…"

"Do you know who that was?"

"Yes. Avery."

Sirius stiffened. But he didn't speak, although Moody shot him a warning look.

"He disarmed me, broke the curse on Rosier." She frowned and brushed her hand across her forehead. "I can't really remember anything after that."

Moody nodded and scribbled something on the piece of parchment. "What about after? Was there a certain Death Eater you usually saw or was it various ones?"

She cast a sideways look at Sirius before she replied. "It was always Rosier."

Sirius impressed them both by staying silent, though she saw his eyes grow darker. She wondered how much longer he would manage to keep quiet.

"And did he ever say anything about their movements? About what Voldemort was planning."

She was silent for a long moment, a thoughtful look upon her face. But then she shook her head. "No. He only ever questioned me. Nothing else was said."

Moody frowned deeply at her. "Are you sure? Nothing was given away? Nothing at all?"

She shook her head. "No, he never gave anything away. He was only ever concerned with questions."

The Head Auror leaned forward in his chair. "Think, Dawson. Was nothing given away? Surely he had to let something slip. Think. Remember."

She did think, she did try to remember. But she could only remember Rosier asking her questions, becoming angry when she did not answer. "I don't-"

"_Think_."

"That's enough," Sirius snapped. "She doesn't remember him ever saying anything. What more do you want?"

"Be quiet, Black," Moody growled, annoyed at having been interrupted. "Think back. Think hard of every moment. Did he ever let anything slip? Anything at all?"

Sirius clenched his jaw tightly, but did not speak. Samantha was deep in thought, obviously trying to remember. He saw her body suddenly give a shudder and he leaned forward as she covered her ears with her hands.

"I don't remember," she shrieked. "I don't remember!" She began to mumble things under her breath, things he could not make out. Alarmed, Sirius moved to the bed, sitting beside her and reaching for her arms, trying to pull her hands away from her ears, whispering comforting things to try and calm her down. He was vaguely aware of Moody standing, of Madame Pomfrey entering the curtains and asking Moody to leave. But his attention was on Samantha.

Madame Pomfrey left and a few minutes later, returned with a goblet of calming draught. By that time, he had almost convinced Samantha to remove her hands from her ears. They were slowly sliding down, slowly moving away from her head. He did not bother with the draught. She did not like to take them and he thought he could calm her without it anyway.

Eventually, he was able to pull her hands away from her ears. Her muttering quieted. She leaned towards him and lay her head down in his lap. He ran his hand over her head until she was breathing deeply in sleep and even then, he did not stop, did not move away from the bed. He continued to whisper to her, hoping it would keep her dreams calm.

It was a while before Madame Pomfrey returned again, this time moving to the other side of the bed.

"Has she calmed down, then?" she asked when she realized Samantha had fallen asleep. "Without the draught?"

Sirius nodded. "What do you think set her off like that? I've never see her…"

"Likely, the Head Auror's questions caused her to uncover things about her time away that she had buried deep inside her, that she had made herself forget."

"Will she be alright?"

"In time, she will be. It may set her back a little. But I am sure you will be able to help her through it."

She left him then, but still he did not move. Did not stop running his hand over her head. He pondered the healer's words, about how this may set her back a little. His jaw clenched tightly. He had known letting Moody question her was a bad idea.

Eventually, he slipped her off of his lap and pulled the covers around her shoulders before settling back down into his chair to watch her sleep. He wondered if anyone would come by, if he would have to explain what had happened to anyone, but luckily, no one came. He was not ready to explain it, anyway. He was still trying to rid himself of the sound of her shriek, of the look of terror on her face. He did not want to relive it.

She slept nearly three hours. When she woke, he ran a hand over her head and smiled when her eyes locked with his.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her, leaning towards her.

She did not reply. She stared at him for just a moment before she rolled over on the bed, turning her back to him. His heart sunk. He had hoped there would be no change at all, despite Madame Pomfrey's words. A false hope it seemed. He called her name, tried to get her to speak to him, to turn back over, but she wouldn't. She would not acknowledge him, she wouldn't move. He eventually gave up and sat back in his chair. They remained that way for the rest of the day until he finally moved to the other bed to sleep. Still, she did not move.

* * *

Sirius groaned as he rolled over in bed. His eyes cracked opened as he did so, searching out the sheets he had kicked around his ankles. Almost on their own, his eyes moved across Samantha's bed to check on her. His gaze jerked back up when he found her bed empty, her sheets thrown back to the foot of the bed. He stumbled from his own bed and out of the curtains, his gaze moving around the hospital wing.

"Where did you go?" he muttered under his breath, making his way to the corridor beyond the wing. There was no way she could have gone far. She still had trouble sitting up on her own. He wasn't sure how she had walked at all, but she had to have to leave the hospital wing.

It did not take long for him to find her. She was seated on a windowsill not far from the entrance of the hospital wing. Her legs were crossed and her back against the stone wall as she stared out the window. He stood and watched her for a moment before he approached. He still had trouble believing sometimes that she had returned to him safely. He would find himself staring at her without realizing he was doing it. She had caught him in the act several times, but now, she did not acknowledge his presence, not even when he sat opposite her on the windowsill.

"You are not supposed to be out of bed," he chastised even as his eyes glanced over her. Her legs and arms were shaking slightly and she seemed fatigued and out of breath. It was obvious that it had been difficult for her to come even this short distance.

He had not been sure if she would answer him. She had refused to talk earlier. But her shoulders lifted into a shrug. "I'm tired of being in bed."

"Madame Pomfrey won't like it."

She finally turned to face him. "Are you going to tell her?" she challenged.

His lips twitched. Since her return, she had been more quiet and withdrawn than she used to be, but the way she was looking at him now, stubborn and just daring him to go get Hogwarts's healer, was his Sam.

"No, I'm not going tell her," he admitted, still fighting a smile. "But if she catches you out here, you're on your own."

"Traitor," she muttered, turning her gaze back out the window. The grounds were dark and hardly visible, and he wondered what she was staring at so intently.

"How did you get out here?" he asked her when it became clear that she was not going to speak again.

"I used the wall," she explained, turning her gaze back to him.

"I would have helped you if you had asked."

She shook her head. "I just needed some time."

He watched her for a long moment. "I'm not going to make you tell me anything you aren't ready to, but you know you can tell me anything."

Her gaze turned away from him and back out the window. She drew her knees up, lying her head on top of them. He had just begun to think that she was not going to speak when she did, so quietly he could hardly hear.

"I don't remember a lot of it, and a lot if it is a blur. But I remember thinking that it was the end, that I would never see you again." He closed his eyes. He had thought the same thing. A part of him still couldn't believe that she had returned to him, that one day he would wake up and discover it had all been a dream. "He was always angry that I refused to tell him what he wanted to know. Some days, I refused to speak at all."

Sirius swallowed his anger. "Who?"

He saw her eyes glance his way. "You know who. It was the same every day. He would ask questions. I would refuse to answer. And he'd try to…convince me to answer them."

"How would he try to convince you?" He knew about the use of the Cruciatus Curse, but Madame Pomfrey had believed that other methods had been used as well.

She opened her mouth as if she were going to answer, but then she shook her head and pressed her forehead to her knees. "Sirius, I really don't want to…" Her voice broke.

Cursing himself, he slid closer to her and placed a hand on her back. "You don't have to," he told her gently.

She drew in a shaky breath and curled towards him. His arms circled around her, pulling her against him. His hand ghosted down her back. He pressed his face into her hair and inhaled deeply. It was the closest they had been since she had been found and he did not think he could willingly let her go.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I tried."

"No," he shook his head. "You've got nothing to be sorry for, love."

They sat there for a long while. Sirius wondered if Madame Pomfrey would wake up and discover them missing, but the healer never appeared. She never spoke again, and Sirius did not try and press her into going back to the hospital wing. She had been stuck in there for nearly a week. He did not blame her for wanting to leave it for a little while. But when he realized she was falling asleep, he decided that it was enough for the night.

"Time to go back to bed," he said, slipping off of the windowsill. Her eyes were closed, and she muttered something that he could not make out but sounded like a protest. "Wrap your arms around my neck," he instructed.

Her eyes opened and she shook her head. "I can walk."

"You most certainly cannot. Now do it."

She sighed and did as he requested, wrapping her arms around his neck. He slipped his arms beneath her knees and back and lifted her up. He tried his best to ignore how light she felt in his arms as he carried her back to the hospital wing. Until they could get her eating real food, she would not gain any weight back. The bowl of porridge had been forgotten that day, but he was determined to make her eat something the next day.

When he reached her bed, luckily without any signs of the healer having discovered them missing, he lay her down on it as gently as he could. Her eyes were closed again and so he drew the sheets around her before leaning down to kiss her forehead. He turned towards his own bed, but before he could take a step towards it, he felt her hand close around his and he turned back to find her watching him.

"Please," she whispered almost pleadingly.

Madame Pomfrey wouldn't like it, that he knew. But telling himself that surely she would not be so cruel as to ban him from the hospital wing, Sirius stepped forward and lifted up the sheets, slipping into the bed beneath them. As he settled against the pillow, she curled against him, resting her head on her chest. Fully aware the bed was not made for two people, he wrapped his arms around her tightly so that she would not slip from the bed. Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes and thought about how much he had missed sleeping this way until he drifted off into the most relaxing sleep he had had in a long time.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	47. Chapter Forty Seven

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter**

**Sorry this took so long! It's been a crazy month. I start school on Monday so I don't know if updates will be quicker or not, but I'm still going. This hasn't been proofread so if you see any big mistakes, feel free to point them out to me. I just don't have time to go over it right now.**

* * *

Fate

Chapter Forty Seven

Sirius had been right about Madame Pomfrey not liking him sleeping in Samantha's bed. Early the next morning, he jerked awake to her shrieking and threatening to kick him out of the hospital wing. He had leapt from the bed immediately and apologized profusely. It was not until Samantha told her that he had only done it at her request that the healer had calmed down, but she told Sirius that if he did it again, he would be banned from the hospital wing. He wasn't sure if she'd actually do it, but he did not plan to test it.

He finally managed to get Samantha to eat porridge the next day. She only ate a few bites, and felt sick afterwards, but they would slowly build her up to eating more. She continued to recover. Every day, she could stay up longer. By the time she had been in the hospital wing for a week, she could push herself into a sitting position on her own. A couple of days later, Madame Pomfrey had Sirius help her to walk around the wing. Neither one of them told the healer about Samantha's late night walk.

Remus came to visit her over the weekend, and surprisingly, so did Peter, though he spent the entire time fidgeting and did not stay long. But Remus stayed for several hours and spent a good amount of that time assuring her that he had made sure that Sirius had not mistreated her cat. James's parents came as well, and Grace spent several hours fussing over her until Joseph finally managed to convince her that they had bothered her long enough.

When Monday arrived, Sirius returned to work just as he had been ordered. He hadn't wanted to, but Samantha warned him that if he didn't, Moody would likely show up and drag him to headquarters. That was enough to make him go. Moody jumped right back into his training as if he had not been gone. James was made a full Auror the same week Sirius returned and wouldn't let Sirius hear the end about how far he had fallen behind. Sirius still slept in the hospital wing. He would get up early and go home to shower and put on a clean set of robes before work, but right after he got off, he returned to Hogwarts. He brought Samantha more books to occupy the time that she was alone.

By the time the end of the week came around, Samantha was able to walk around on her own. Madame Pomfrey allowed her to walk around the corridor outside of the wing, as long as she did not try to go up or down any stairs herself. When Sirius was there in the evenings, they would go on a slightly longer walk around the castle, with him helping her at staircases, to try and build up her stamina.

On Friday afternoon, Moody surprised Sirius by allowing him to go home several hours early. The Head Auror claimed that after a week of impatient fidgeting from Sirius, he was tired of it and ready for a break. Sirius didn't question it and left right away, heading as always straight to Hogwarts, stopping only to pick up a vase of flowers for her bedside table. Samantha would be surprised when he showed up early. But when he stepped inside the curtains, he found her bed empty and Madame Pomfrey changing the sheets.

"She's gone on a walk," the healer informed him as he set the flowers on the table beside the bed.

He nodded. "I'll go find her then."

"Mr. Black." The healer's voice made him pause before he made his way out of the curtains. "If she's feeling up to it, and if you promise to not allow her to push herself, you may take her outside."

"Really?" he asked in surprise.

She inclined her head. "I was going to allow it this weekend, but since you're here early today, you might as well."

He was grinning as he made his way down the corridor in search for Samantha. He did not have to search far. She was standing in front of a window, her arms crossed over her chest, as she looked outside. There was a longing in her gaze that he knew would soon be gone.

He stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She leaned back against him and glanced up at him, a smile on her face.

"What are you doing here?"

"Moody let me go early," he replied, ducking his head to press kisses to her neck. "What were you thinking about?"

She sighed deeply. "I was trying to remember how long it's been since I've been outside."

"Hm." He rested his chin on top of her head. "Then why don't we go outside?"

"Now you're just trying to get me into trouble. And you're already on thin ice with Madame Pomfrey."

"It was her idea," he replied indignantly. "I wouldn't dare suggest such a thing without her permission."

"Yes you would have."

He pulled a face. "But I'm not. "

"Promise?"

"Marauder's honor."

And so, a few minutes later, they found themselves standing on the front steps of the school. It was a rarely beautiful day. The sun was out and shining brightly. Grinning, Sirius looked at Samantha. She was blinking as her eyes tried to adjust to being out in the sun for the first time in two months, but she was smiling.

He helped her down the steep stone stairs. She was still a bit unsteady on her feet and did not trust herself to not lose her footing when walking up or down stairs. When they reached the ground, they slowly headed towards the lake. Sirius kept glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes, unable to help the joy he felt at the sight of the smile on her face.

They slowly made their way along the shore of the lake, watching the giant squid lazily drift on the lake's surface. Their hands were linked, their fingers twined together. When he noticed that she was getting tired, they made their way towards the tree they had often frequented when they had been students. Sirius settled against the trunk of the tree and when she sat beside him, he pulled her against him. She rested her head against his chest, her shoulders relaxing. She had been tense since they stepped outside of the castle. Why, he was not sure, but she had otherwise acted normal so he had not said anything. He could ask Madame Pomfrey about it later, but he was fairly certain he already knew why. She would likely be tense whenever she left the safety of walls for a while.

For several minutes, they relaxed. Sirius closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree, sighing contentedly. It was not until he was on the edge of sleep that he spoke.

"I've missed this."

He felt her shift against him. "Missed what?"

"Sitting under this tree. Being with you." He sighed again and began to stroke her arm with his thumb. "There was a period of time when I thought I would never see you again. And now that you're back, I never want to be apart from you again."

Her hand came to rest on his chest. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Hm," he sighed again, "Marry me."

He felt her jerk in surprise. Opening his eyes, he glanced down to find her head tilted up to look at him.

"What?" she asked, disbelief in her voice.

"I know the last time we talked about this, we agreed we weren't ready. But so much has happened since then. So much has changed. And all I know is that I don't ever want us to be apart again. So let's not be. What do you say?"

"Yes," she said, her face splitting into a grin. "I say yes."

He leaned down to capture her lips in a kiss. Once, he never thought that he'd want to settled down, but now, his heart felt as if it were going to burst. He hadn't planned to ask such a thing. It had just slipped out. But when he said it, he knew that more than anything that was what he wanted. For them to spend the rest of their lives together. And now they would.

* * *

"What about this one?"

Sirius frowned as he leaned down to inspect the ring James was pointing to. A moment later, he shook his head.

"No. The diamond is far too small."

James rolled his eyes. "Do you honestly think she cares what size diamond you get her?"

"I want to find her the perfect ring, Prongs," Sirius said, moving further down the glass case.

Following, James snorted. "Really? I wouldn't have guessed, seeing as this is the third shop we've been to today."

"You can leave whenever you want, you know."

James's shoulders lifted into a shrug. "You asked for my help. I'm providing it. You can't shoot down every single ring."

"I haven't-"

"You've found something wrong with every one we've looked at."

"How many rings did you look at?" Sirius challenged. "When you were looking for Lily?"

"Can't remember, honestly," James replied. "I suppose too many to count."

"See? There's nothing here. There's another shop a few blocks away. Let's check that one."

James pulled a face, but followed Sirius out of the shop. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets as they made their way down the busy sidewalk. He cast a look at Sirius, who saw and frowned.

"Is there something you want to say, Prongs?"

James shrugged. "Not really. Just wondering more than anything."

Sirius sighed. "Wondering what?"

"Does Adrien know about this yet? I mean, it's been a couple of days now."

Sirius shook his head. "I told you, Sam wants to keep it between ourselves for a while. The only reason you know is because I wanted help picking out the ring." Sirius pinned him with a glare. "And don't you dare tell her I told you."

James ignored Sirius's threat. "Well, shouldn't her brother know first? Before I proposed to Lily, I asked her father."

Sirius's steps falter. "In case you've forgotten, I don't have that option."

"I haven't forgotten," James said quietly. "I'm just concerned."

"About…?"

"You and Adrien aren't exactly on good terms right now is all. If you wait too long to tell him, he'll probably take it worse than he already will."

Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I hadn't thought of that, honestly. I haven't had a chance. I'll talk to Sam about it. It's up to her."  
James snorted. "Then he's never going to find out."

They had better luck in the next shop. Sirius was instantly drawn to a ring. It was simpler that most of the ones they had seen that day. The band was white gold, the diamond just the right size. It was large, but not so large that she would think it too much. James's eyes nearly bugged out of his head when they were told the price, exclaiming that that was nearly a year's salary. But Sirius didn't care. He had the money anyway, thanks to the money his Uncle Alphard had left him.

After Sirius purchased the ring, he threatened James to keep his mouth shut about his and Samantha's engagement one more time. After James had sworn he wouldn't ("Marauder's honor."), the two boys parted ways. Lily, drawing closer to her due date, was on maternity leave, and although it was the weekend and not a day she would normally work, she complained if James left her alone at home too long. Sirius was returning to Hogwarts. He had told Samantha he had been called into work that morning, what she would soon know to be a lie. Not that he expected her to point it out, not after she saw what he had been up to instead.

She was asleep when he finally made it back to the hospital wing. Or at least dozing. A book was spread across her chest and she had obviously drifted off while reading. Though she was able to move around on her own, she still lost energy quickly. It would be a long while yet until her energy levels would be back to normal.

An idea suddenly hit him as he stood at the foot of the bed watching her sleep. He'd been debating as to how to present her the ring all day. He'd already proposed so it would seem redundant to do it the conventional way. So instead, he settled into the chair on her left side, not the one he usually frequented, and slid the small box out of his robes. Carefully, he removed the ring. Her left hand was resting upon the book, and so as gently as he could, he took her hand in his and slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly.

The ring looked even more beautiful on her hand. He leaned down to press his lips to her knuckles. She stirred and then a moment later, her eyes opened. Slowly, her gaze turned towards him and their eyes locked. Then her eyes moved to her hand, which he was still holding, and she inhaled sharply.

"Sirius…" she breathed softly, pulling her hand out of his so that she could inspect the ring more closely.

"Do you like it?" he asked worriedly, a frown on his face. "I looked at so many, they began to blur together. But this one stuck out."

She shook her head. "I love it. It's beautiful."

He leaned forward, placing a hand behind her head and touching their foreheads together. "A beautiful ring for a beautiful girl," he said softly before pressing his lips to hers.

"Don't lie," she told him when he pulled away. "I look a right mess."

"No," he said, running his fingers through her short hair. "You could never look a mess."

"You're still lying," she said with a smile, but allowed him to kiss her again all the same.

For the remainder of the day, he toyed with the ring absently. She doubted he even noticed when he did it, but every time he did, she would smile. Sometimes, he would catch the smile and ask about it, but she would only shake her head and continue on with whatever it was she had been doing. For the first time since she had woken up in the hospital wing, she truly felt as if she could one day leave her experience behind her.

* * *

Samantha sighed as she turned the next page of the book Sirius had brought her the day before. It was Monday, two days after he had presented her with her ring. She still wore it and found herself fiddling with it from time to time. Sirius was at work and she was bored out of her mind. She had been in the hospital wing for nearly two weeks and she was beginning to tire of being there. There was talk of allowing her to go home and finish recovery there soon, but as she was not home yet, it was not soon enough.

She was just contemplating going on a walk- again- when she heard someone enter the hospital wing. The footsteps approached her bed and when the curtains parted, she was surprised to find it was her brother. He grinned at her as he moved to sit beside her bed.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, closing her book and setting it aside. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

Adrien shrugged. "I've got some time for lunch. I thought I'd come by while you were probably bored out of your mind."

She gave him a look. "You mean you thought you'd come by while Sirius wasn't here."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Adrien muttered, but the look in his eyes told her otherwise.

"He's not as bad as you seem to think he is," Samantha told him softly, her gaze on her hands as she fiddled with the edges of the sheets on her bed.

Adrien's gaze dropped to her hands as well. Too late, she realized her ring was still on her finger, clearly visible She'd been making sure to remove it whenever she had visitors, but Adrien's visit had taken her completely by surprise and it had not even crossed her mind.

"What the hell is that?"

Before she could pull away, her brother had grabbed hold of her hand and yanked it toward him roughly. He scrutinized the ring closely and with every second that passed, the more angry his eyes grew.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked loudly, dropping her hand.

"Adrien-"

"No."

He stood from his chair roughly, storming to the end of the bed before whirling to face her.

"You do know that you're in here because of him, don't you? That he's the reason you nearly died."

"That's not true."

"Then whose fault is it, Sam? The Death Eaters'? They wouldn't have had the chance to take you if he hadn't have said what he did."

She shook her head. "But I should have known better than to leave the flat like I did."

His eyes flashed. "So now he's got you thinking it's your fault?"

"No, he doesn't-"

"Then whose fault is it if it's not his? It's just a simple question."

"Adrien, please just listen-"

"No, you listen," Adrien roared, slamming his hands down on the footboard of the bed. "I won't allow you to marry him."

Samantha drew back as if she had been slapped. "What?" she whispered.

"I'm sorry, Sam, but I can't allow you to throw your life away. You think you're in love, but if you just put some space between the two of you, you'll see how unhappy you are."

"_What_?"

"Madame Pomfrey says you'll be going home soon. You could come stay with Nichole and I for a little while, at least until you're back on your feet.

She shook her head. "No."

Adrien froze. "What?"

"No," she repeated. "No I won't come live with you, no I won't break up with Sirius. I won't allow you to tell me who I can or cannot marry."

Her voice continued to raise as she spoke. As her voice grew louder, Adrien's face grew angrier.

"Mom and dad wouldn't have allowed you to marry him," he burst out.

"How do you know what mom and dad would have wanted?" she shouted. "And you've got no right to tell me what to do. You're not dad, so stop trying to be."

Adrien did not speak right away. He stared at her for a long moment, seeming to be thinking over what to say. Eventually, he nodded and took a step back from the bed.

"Fine," he said softly. "Do what you want. But don't come to me when it goes wrong."

For a while after he had stormed out of the hospital wing, she sat staring at the place where he had disappeared through the curtains. They had never had such an argument, not that she could remember at least.

Suddenly exhausted, she sighed and lay down, pressing her face into her pillow. She felt as if she could cry, but she didn't. Instead, she closed her eyes, fisting her hands in the pillowcase. She must have eventually fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, she heard Sirius's voice speaking softly with Madame Pomfrey. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but she was certain she heard Adrien's name a time or two. And even though he was speaking softly, she could hear the worry in his voice.

A moment later, she heard him slip through the curtains. She didn't move, didn't open her eyes. He sighed, and then the mattress shifted as he sat down at the edge of the bed. He didn't speak, but she felt his fingers brush over the hair at her neck. It was enough to make her composure slip and as she fought off tears, she rolled over and pressed her face into his leg. His hand moved to her arm, his fingers gently moving up and down.

They did not speak, and she wasn't sure how long it was until she moved away. But she knew as he silently comforted her that she could never choose family over him. Not when he was her family as well. Hopefully, Adrien would come around. He would one day, she was sure. But a part of her feared that he would never accept her relationship with Sirius. But she would just have to deal with that one day at a time.

* * *

Four days later, Samantha was released from the hospital wing. She was under strict instructions to stay off of her feet for as long as possible. Sirius had to make sure she took her potions every day. Madame Pomfrey would be coming by once a week to check up on her, and she was strictly prohibited from returning to work until the healer said otherwise. Not that that mattered. Her mentor was dead, and unless she could find another, which was very unlikely, she would have no work to return to. But she wouldn't allow herself to dwell on that for too long. There was no point, not when she wasn't allowed to go anyway.

Sirius was ecstatic the morning Madame Pomfrey announced that she could go home in the early afternoon. She told him early, before he left for work, and he ended up staying out of work that day. She wasn't released until early afternoon, and so he spent the entire morning grinning.

It felt good to step outside the hospital wing and know that she would not be returning, at least not for a while. Sirius was right beside her, and although she was perfectly capable of walking on her own, he seemed to be waiting for her to need his help.

She did, it turned out, by the time they apparated to the alleyway that ran beside their building. She had her wand. It had been recovered from the building she had been found in. But they deemed it unsafe for her to try and apparate on her own just yet, so she attached herself to his arm. The walk to the gates of Hogwarts had been a long one, and by the time she released his arm in London, her energy was gone. She had to lean on him to walk into their building and by the time they reached the top of the stairs, he was practically carrying her. It was frustrating to lose her energy so quickly. By the time they reached the top of the stairs, she was breathing heavily and her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest. She wondered how long it would take for her to be back to normal, or if she ever would be.

Remus was on his way out the door when they stepped inside. He seemed shocked at first- Sirius had not informed him that Samantha would be returning home that day since he had just found out that morning- and had given her a hug before he left. He'd had the morning off of work, but was expected in for the afternoon.

Sirius ordered her straight to the couch, where she collapsed gratefully, closing her eyes and leaning her head back, enjoying the feeling of finally being home. She heard small footsteps thudding against the floor, and then there was a sudden weight on her lap. She opened her eyes to find Mica curling up and purring loudly and smiled. She'd missed her cat dearly.

"He's missed you," Sirius told her, leaning against the back of the couch. "He even grew more friendly with me while you were away. I expect that's going to be over now that you're back."

Samantha smiled softly as she scratched Mica behind the ears. "You never know. Maybe he's just finally warming up to you."

Snorting, Sirius shook his head. "I doubt that." He leaned down towards her. "Welcome home," he told her softly before giving her a quick kiss. "Do you want some tea?"

"Sure."

After Sirius made them tea, he settled on the floor in front of the sofa. Samantha stretched out on the sofa. They spoke for a long while, but eventually, she found herself fighting to keep her eyes opened. She fell asleep eventually and woke later to the sound of Sirius cooking in the kitchen. She didn't bother to open her eyes, but instead lay there listening as pans clattered and water ran. Eventually, she felt his hand touch her shoulder.

"Sammie, dinner's ready."

"Hm." She didn't want to move, but he finally was able to coax her from the couch. He had cooked potato soup, one of her favorites. She wasn't able to eat a lot of it, but Sirius seemed pleased with what she did eat. She offered to help him clean up after, but he would hear none of it. She was still blinking sleepily, and so he sent her into the bedroom and told her he would join her as soon as dinner was cleaned up.

She had changed into her pajamas and was reading when he finally slipped into the bedroom. For a long moment, he stood there staring at her, at least until she took notice and looked up from her book with raised eyebrows.

"Are you planning on joining me or are you going to just stand there being creepy?"

Sirius shrugged, but made his way to the bed. "I am never creepy," he declared, dropping down onto the bed.

She gave him a sideways look. "I beg to differ."

He snorted, but when he did not say anything more, she turned her attention back to her book. After a few minutes, she heard him sigh and shift and then his head was lying on her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she suppressed a sigh.

"I'm reading."

"That's all you've been able to do for weeks," he protested. "Aren't you tired of it yet?"

"No, I'm not." His head still did not move, and so she sighed. "Why? Is there anything particular you had in mind?"

"Well." The weight of his head disappeared from her shoulder. "It's your first night home in over two months." His lips were suddenly against her neck. "I can think of a few things."

She smiled. "We shouldn't."

He trailed kisses down to her shoulder. "Of course we should."

"What if Remus wants to talk when he gets home?"

Now his lips were at the corner of her mouth. "He's gone to Peter's, remember?"

"Madame Pomfrey won't like it."

"Well, I'm certainly not going to tell her," he informed her before capturing her lips in a kiss.

"I'm running out of excuses," she told him between kisses.

"Good," he breathed.

She dropped her book to wrap her arms around his neck as she finally kissed him back. He made an approving noise in the back of his throat and wrapped his arms around her waist, moving with her as she lay back against the pillows. Her book slid out of her lap and landed on the floor with a thud, but neither of them took any notice.

Sirius began to slowly peel away her clothes as his hands explored every inch of her body. He began with things familiar with him. The small mole on her left hip. The scar behind her knee that she had gotten in an incident involving James and Adrien, but she would not tell him anything more about it. But then he found things he did not remember being there before. A scar on her elbow. A healing cut on her back that was hardly visible but very noticeable when his fingers brushed across it. He found another scar on her shoulder. A part of him wanted to ask about them, wanted to quell the anger he felt as his fingers found each one, but he decided against it. She would only withdraw from him if he asked.

He then made love to her as slowly and gently as possible. She'd been right; they shouldn't be doing what they were. She was still under strict instructions to stay off of her feet, and though she technically was, Sirius was sure this fell under the things Madame Pomfrey did not want her doing just yet. But with them newly engaged and her being home for the first time in over two months, it was impossible to resist.

After, she fell asleep curled up against him, her head on her shoulder. He had his arm wrapped around her, his thumb slowly stroking her arm. He was happy when she'd been found, but now that she was home, it felt almost as if things could go back to normal. He knew that things would be different for a while, but surely one day, they would put it behind them and maybe even eventually forget.

* * *

Sirius insisted on taking the next week off of work. He did not want to leave her alone at home, at least not yet. Ever since he'd brought her home, Dumbledore's warning from when she had first been found had been fresh in his mind. There were plenty of protective charms around their flat. Some had already been in place and the day after she had come home, Moody came over to put up even more. He'd insisted that no Death Eater could get near their home, but Sirius still worried. She tried to tell him she would be fine, but he could tell that she was glad to not be staying her first week at home by herself.

She fell into a pattern as the days passed. She would get out of bed late in the morning and take a bath before she moved to the couch in the living room. Sirius would sit with her and they would pass the day by talking. It was amazing that even though they had been together for so long, they could find so much to talk about, but they did very easily. Remus would join them when he was home.

The week passed this way. The next week, Sirius reluctantly returned to work, leaving her alone. She still kept the same habits, though she could feel her strength returning each day. On Friday evening, James and Lily planned to come to dinner. Peter was invited as well, but he claimed he was busy. He'd been doing that a lot lately. Samantha had only seen him once since she'd returned, but he'd only stayed for a few minutes. Sirius and Remus theorized that the worsening war was making him nervous.

"They're late," Sirius declared on Friday night when James and Lily had still not shown up even though they were supposed to have arrived half an hour ago.

Remus briefly glanced away from his conversation with Samantha. "They'll be here."

Sirius fidgeted at his lack of concern. "They're never late."

Samantha raised her eyebrows. "James has never been punctual."

"Until he married Lily."

Remus shrugged. "And she's due when? The end of the month? I'm sure she's not too great at rushing around these days."

Sirius relaxed at this. "That's true."

There was a knock on the door then and Sirius shot up from his feet to answer it. Samantha shook her head and glanced at Remus.

"He's got far too much energy from being cooped up. He's got to go back to work next week or he might explode."

"If he doesn't, I might explode," Remus muttered as Sirius returned with Lily and James.

"How does it feel to be home?" James asked Samantha with a grin, shaking his head when she tried to stand. He squeezed her shoulder as he passed behind her to help Lily into her seat before taking his own.

"It's great to finally be out of that hospital bed," she replied.

"Yeah, our bed and the couch is a definite improvement," Sirius teased, causing Samantha to shoot him a dirty look.

"What about wedding plans?" Lily asked. "Now that you're home, have you started making any?"

They had shared their engagement with their friends while Samantha had still been in the hospital wing. They'd gone ahead and told them because Samantha had grown tired of trying to hide her ring, especially after her argument with her brother.

"I haven't even begun to think about it," Samantha admitted. "We want to wait until we're both done with training and I'm not sure when I will be."

"Any luck in finding a mentor?" James asked.

"No. But I haven't really started looking. When I feel up to it, I might go to St. Mungo's and talk to the head healer to see what they think I ought to do."

"As long as I go with you," Sirius quickly interjected.

Samantha fought the urge to roll her eyes and reply. She and Sirius had been arguing about her leaving the flat for a few days now. He said whenever she was given the go ahead to by Madame Pomfrey, she couldn't go anywhere without someone else with her. She'd disagreed instantly, and they'd been arguing about it off and on ever since. But dinner was not the place to start it up again.

James seemed to notice the disagreement in her face because he quickly asked if they were going to eat or if they planned on allowing him to starve. The diversion worked. Sirius jumped up to move the food to the table. James helped and soon most of the roast Remus had cooked was gone.

"Moony, that was excellent," James declared when they were finished. "Mind coming and cooking for me every night? Lily's slacked off a bit."

"Hey," Lily exclaimed, slapping his shoulder. "If you don't like my cooking, James Potter, then you can start cooking for yourself."

"When are you due again?" Remus spoke up.

"The twenty-fifth," Lily replied. She and James exchanged looks and both seemed to become more somber. It did not go unnoticed.

"Is there something wrong?" Sirius asked, setting down his fork.

James and Lily suddenly found everyone's attention on them. They exchanged another look and Lily inclined her head slightly to give him permission to speak.

"We, ah, were at Hogwarts yesterday. Dumbledore asked to speak to us."

"Dumbledore?" Sirius echoed. "Was it Order business?"

Lily shook her head. "Not exactly."

"He heard a prophecy," James continued. "About the defeat of Voldemort."

Silence fell at the table. No one seemed to know what to say. Finally, Sirius spoke.

"A prophecy? That sounds a bit mental, doesn't it?"

"That was my first thought," James admitted. "But Dumbledore seems to think it's a valid prophecy."

"And what exactly does this have to do with the two of you?" Remus asked.

"Well," James replied slowly. "According to this prophecy, the child born to those who have defied Voldemort three times will have the power to defeat him. It says that the child will be born as the seventh month dies. And that neither can live while the other survives."

This time, the silence was deafening.

"Well, then it can't be your kid, can it?" Sirius asked quietly. "Cause you're due on the twenty-fifth. And that's not the end of July."

Lily shifted. "Well, the due date doesn't mean that's when he's going to be born."

"And it may not be us. There's another couple who fits into the description, too," James added.

Comprehension dawned in Samantha's eyes. "The Longbottoms."

Lily nodded. "Alice is due at the end of the month as well. And they've crossed Voldemort three times, too."

Sirius slammed his hands on the table, causing the others to jump. "Is there nothing safe from Voldemort?" he asked loudly.

"Sirius," Samantha said softly, placing her hand on his arm. He took a deep breath, visibly trying to calm down.

"Well, we're hoping Voldemort doesn't find out," Lily said quietly, folding her hands in her lap. "As far as we know, the only ones who know are us, Dumbledore, the one who gave the prophecy, and the Longbottoms. And you three, of course. And Peter as well if we ever see to tell him."

"What did Dumbledore suggest you do?" Remus asked.

"Keep Voldemort from finding out mainly," James replied. "Lie low. He thinks we ought to move as well, so we'll be searching for a place this weekend. Mostly just stay off the radar for a while."

"We'll get through this," Lily said in an attempt to assure them. "As long as Voldemort doesn't find out, we'll be fine."

None of them believed it, but for each other's sakes, they all pretended that they did.

* * *

_ She pressed her back against the cold wall, trying to put as much distance between herself and him as she could. Her legs shook weakly, and she hoped that she did not fall. Rosier's dark eyes glinted at her angrily as he stepped closer, closing the distance between them. _

_ "If you know what's good for you," he growled at her, "You will tell me what I want to know."_

_ She forced her fear away, and narrowed her eyes at him._

_ "I will not betray my friends," she ground out between her teeth._

_ Rosier pressed against her, causing the stone wall to dig painfully into her spine. He brought his face close to hers so that she could feel his breath on her skin. He turned his lips towards her ear, and she felt his wand brush against her throat. _

_ "Let me hear your voice again," his whispered. "Crucio."_

_ She collapsed at his feet as a terrible yet familiar pain overcame her. Her blood felt as if was boiling, and despite her best efforts to hold it back, a scream was ripped from her throat. Rosier stood over her, looking down at her writhing on the floor as he laughed. Her throat became raw, and she clawed at the stone floor, oblivious to the skin of her finger tips tearing._

_ After what seemed like ages, Rosier finally broke the curse. Relieved from the pain, she lay on her back gasping for breath, her body trembling. He knelt down beside her and fisted her robes in his hand, pulling her up so he could better look in her eyes._

_ "I will break you," he hissed at her, his voice filled with anger. "And then you will tell me what I want to know."_

_ He released her, shoving her away angrily. She was not fast enough to catch herself and her head cracked against the floor painfully, causing her vision to swim. She heard his footsteps retreating as he left, and then the door closed behind him, leaving her alone in the dark once again. Still shaking, she curled up and closed her eyes, and thought of freedom._

_ "Sam."_

Sirius propped himself up on his elbow, leaning over her. In her sleep, she shifted restlessly, and when he called her name again, her brow furrowed. He reached to brush his hand against her cheek, and as soon as his skin touched hers, she flinched away violently and began to thrash around wildly.

"Samantha," he said more firmly, grabbing hold of her wrist when her hand threatened to smack him in the face.

His free hand shook her shoulder, and her eyes snapped opened. Her blue eyes were filled with fear as she stared wide-eyed at him, and he released her wrist to move his hand to the back of her head.

"It's just me, love," he said to her soothingly. "It's me."

Recognition shone in her eyes, and he noticed that she was trembling. She moved to press her forehead into his chest, and he sunk back down to his pillow, moving his hand to her back to rub it soothingly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her quietly.

She shook her head, shifting closer to him. He continued to rub her back, his other arm wrapping around her. When she did not speak for a long while, he brushed his fingers through her hair.

"That was your first nightmare this week," he said. "Are you sure there's nothing you want to talk about?"

She didn't answer right away. He waited patiently, still rubbing her back. Eventually she did speak, but so softly he had to strain to hear.

"Are you worried about James and Lily?"

He sighed and tightened the arm that was around her. "I can't stop playing different scenarios through my head about what could happen. But then I think about what they said Dumbledore told them and I try and convince myself that everything's going to be fine."

She tilted her head to look up at him. "But what if Voldemort finds out?"

"Then I suppose we're going to just have to deal with that if it happens. Dumbledore is a smart man. He'll keep them safe." He sighed again and shifted into a more comfortable position. "Why don't we just wait and see? The kid might not even be born on the right day. Then it won't matter."

"Then it'll likely be Frank and Alice who have to deal with it instead."

Sirius swallowed. He'd forgotten that they were in danger of having a child who fit the prophecy as well.

"Then we're just going to have to make sure Voldemort doesn't find out."

Despite herself, Samantha smiled. "You make it sound so easy."

He shrugged. "It can't be too hard, can it? If they only tell people they trust."

"Hm, that's true."

She sighed and pressed her face back into his chest.

"Tired?" he asked softly, and she could hear the smile in his voice. She nodded and his fingers brushed through her hair. "Go back to sleep."

"Not yet," she said.

"Alright. Do you want to talk?"

"Mm, about what?"

"I dunno." His fingers ran through her hair again. "We could talk about how I'm becoming a full Auror on Monday."

"You've been talking about that all week."

"Because it's exciting," he replied indignantly. "I'll be finished with my training. We could go ahead and get married."

She sighed. This was a conversation they had had several times. "We agreed to wait until we were both done with training."

"I know. But why wait?"

"One thing at a time, Sirius. Don't you think we have enough going on right now?"

"Sure, I suppose we do."

"And I'd rather wait until my brother is back on speaking terms with me."

He did not answer right away. Samantha had not heard from her brother since the day he had stormed from the hospital wing. She tried to pretend it didn't bother her, but he knew better. It hurt her a lot more than she would let on.

"He'll come around," he told her, not for the first time. "He just needs some time."

She made some sort of noise, but did not reply. Instead, she sighed deeply and shifted to make herself more comfortable before relaxing beside him. Sirius closed his eyes, knowing she meant to go back to sleep. He wasn't sure who drifted off first, but they both slept well into the morning.

* * *

As promised, Moody declared Sirius's training completed on Monday morning. Not that it really changed everything. As Head Auror, Moody would still be bossing him around all the time. But they would be more like colleagues, though from what Sirius had heard, Moody would always act as a mentor. But it was hard to believe when Moody began barking orders at him right away.

On Tuesday, Samantha was surprised when Nichole came to visit her over lunch. The topic of Adrien was avoided for the most part. Nichole came to tell her that she had spoken to the head healer and that she had been given permission to finish Samantha's training if Samantha accepted the offer. Normally, a mentor had to be an experienced healer and Nichole had not been a healer long enough. But with Nichole's talents, and the special circumstances, it had been agreed. Samantha had not known what to say at first. She'd been surprised by the offer and had nearly come to accept that she would have to start her training over from the beginning and hope a new mentor would choose her. But she'd happily accepted the offer. She knew Nichole was a talented healer and would be more than happy to be learning from her. She still had to wait for permission from Madame Pomfrey to return to work, however, and even then she wasn't sure if she would be ready. Despite her arguments with Sirius, she felt nervous at the idea of returning out into the world. It had been so long that the thought made her anxious.

She had another surprise visitor the next day. She was curled up in the armchair, a book in her lap, when there was a knock on the door. She glanced up, pondering what to do. When Nichole had knocked the day before, she'd decided not to answer until she had announced herself. She leaned forward and picked up her wand on the coffee table.

"Who is it?" she called.

"It's Fabian," a familiar voice replied from the other side of the door.

She smiled and waved her wand and the lock unlocked with a click.

"Come on in."

The door opened and Fabian stepped inside. She closed her book and made to stand, but he waved at her to stay where she was.

"Sorry I haven't come by yet," he apologized with a sheepish look as he sat down on the end of the sofa closest to her. "I was giving you guys some space when you were in the hospital wing. But James mentioned at the Order meeting this weekend that you were at home by yourself during the day so I thought I would come by and keep you company."

"I appreciate it," she said. "Sirius keeps bringing me books, but they can only make good company for so long."

"When do you get to rejoin the real world?"

She brushed her hair out of her face. "Madame Pomfrey comes by on Fridays. Sirius thinks she'll give me the go ahead this week, but we'll see."

He must have seen something on her face because he then asked, "Are you ready for her to give you the go ahead?"

She lifted her shoulders and dropped her gaze. "I don't know. I've only been out a few times and I couldn't help but be a little tense."

"Understandable. It will probably take a little while to adjust."

"I know," she sighed. "It's just frustrating. It's not something I should have to adjust to."

"I know," he said softly. "But I promise it will get better." He smiled. "I heard about your engagement."

"You did?" She did her best to hide her surprise. So far, they had only shared their engagement with their closest friends. It would be a while until they married, so she saw no need to tell everyone right away.

"I made the mistake of asking Adrien why he was glaring at Sirius so heavily at the Order meeting last week. I was rewarded with a fifteen minute rant about how you were making the biggest mistake of your life."

"So he's still angry? I haven't spoken to him since he found out."

"He wasn't happy," Fabian admitted. "But he'll get over it. He was devastated when you went missing. He's still adjusting to the fact that you're back safe, something no one thought would happen."

"And he spent all the time I was missing blaming Sirius for it."

He inclined his head in agreement. "Oh, yes, he made everyone well aware that he thought Sirius was to blame. Maybe he is. But he also makes you happy and one day, Adrien will realize that that's all that matters."

She drew her legs up and rested her chin on her knees. "You sound like Sirius."

"I must be right then," he said, grinning. He pushed himself to his feet. "Do you want some tea?"

A horrified look passed over her face and she started to rise. "I'm sorry, I didn't even-"

"No, no," he lightly touched her shoulder to stop her from standing. "You stay there. I'll get it."

She sighed and settled back into her chair. There was no reason in arguing. She'd been losing the same argument with Sirius for two weeks, so now she would not even bother. "You sound like Sirius," she said again.

He chuckled as he strode in the kitchen. "And I'll say again, I must be right."

He managed to find the cups and tea with the help of her direction. A few minutes later, he handed her a cup of tea before settling back on the couch with his own cup. He stayed a bit longer. She told him Sirius hadn't kept her updated with the Order and managed to convince him to tell her instead. Remus returned from work a bit early and joined them for a short while until Fabian decided he ought to go, promising to see her again soon.

"Did you know he was coming by?" Remus asked as he took the tea cups into the kitchen.

"No," she replied with a shake of her head. "It was a nice surprise."

"Sirius certainly won't see it that way," Remus said with a smile.

"Then I'll have to make sure to mention it to him, won't I?"

"When he won't stop whining later, just remember that you said that."

She didn't mention it to him, not right away. Only after dinner, when Remus had gone to take a shower and Sirius was cleaning up the dishes. She was seated at the table, watching his back as he worked at the sink.

"Fabian came to see me today," she said, breaking the silence they had fallen into.

"He did?" To his credit, Sirius did not react at all. He only continued to wash the dish in his hands.

She nodded even though he could not see. "He stayed for a little bit this afternoon."

"What did you two talk about?"

"I don't know. A lot of things." She began fiddling with the pepper shaker on the table, tilting it from side to side absently. "Adrien told him we were engaged."

Sirius snorted. "So much for keeping that a secret for a little while."

"Right before he left, he also asked if I'd be at the Order meeting this weekend." Still no reaction. "I said yes."

He froze. She could see his back tense up. Slowly, he set the dish he'd been cleaning down in the sink and turned towards her. She'd expected anger, but his face was surprisingly impassive.

"You did?" he asked, his voice just as calm. "I know I said that I thought Madame Pomfrey would give you the go ahead to return to work this Friday, but I could be completely wrong."

"That's for if I can return to work or not," she pointed out. "Where I'm on my feet all day. An Order meeting is hardly as exhausting."

He snorted again. "That could be debated."

She sighed heavily. "Sirius, there's no reason why I can't go."

He slid into the chair across from her. "I don't want to argue about this," he told her. "Not again."

"Then let's not argue."

He inclined his head in agreement. "Alright. Let's not. But will you listen to me, just for a moment?" She lifted her shoulders in a sort of shrug, and he took that as a yes. "Voldemort is less than pleased with you. You've escaped him twice now. We're going to have to be careful to not catch his attention and we're going to have to be on alert at all times."

"Yes, I know that, but-"

He held up a finger. "On top of that, you've taken damage to your heart. You don't have the endurance that you used to, and though it will likely improve over time, I don't know if you'll ever be quite the same."

She rolled her eyes. "I know that, too."

"I just don't think being too involved is a good idea. Going on raids or surveillance, that's a sure way to put yourself in danger."

She rubbed her forehead. "I'm aware, Sirius. I was planning on avoiding things such as that. But it doesn't mean I can't still be involved. I've done plenty of planning and mapping. And Voldemort already knows I'm involved in the Order. There's no use trying to hide it now."

"But you're willing to…take things easy?"

"I know my limitations, Sirius. I wasn't going to try and push it too hard. But I think I'm ready to be involved again. And I deserve to be, don't I?"

"More than most," he agreed. "Alright, we'll plan to go to the meeting, then." He stood and leaned across the table for a quick kiss before moving back to the dishes. Samantha smiled as she watched him. The conversation had gone better than she'd expected. Once, such a conversation would have ended in a shouting match. But it hadn't, and on Saturday, she would return to the Order. Things nearly felt back to normal.

* * *

Madame Pomfrey did not give her leave to return to work when she came by on Friday, but she said that after the first of August, she should be fine to. If she were to be honest with herself, Samantha felt relieved. She was still apprehensive about returning to work and she did not mind a little extra time to prepare herself.

On Friday evening, Caradoc Dearborn, a long-time Order member, disappeared much in the same way as she had. The Order meeting the following evening gave her a glimpse into what the meeting that was held the day she was discovered missing must have been like. The Order was in chaos as everyone tried to do everything at once. She did what she could to help, but she had been gone so long that she felt a little out of place. Sirius kept pestering her to stay off her feet as well, and so she spent most of the evening observing. A few times, she tried to catch her brother's eye, but he was being very careful not to look her way.

When July the twenty-fifth arrived, everyone held their breath, hoping that Lily would go into labor as she was meant to. They tried to ignore the sinking feeling when she didn't. With every day that passed, they hoped they would hear that she was in the hospital, that the baby was coming. By the time the thirtieth had rolled around, they had switched to hoping the baby would wait and arrive in August.

The thirtieth fell on a Wednesday, and though Sirius had hoped to go home after work and spend a quiet evening at home, his boss had other plans. He was just about to go home for the evening when Moody announced that he needed volunteers to stay, that he had gotten a tip on the location of a few Death Eaters. Sirius was one of those who stayed behind. James probably would have, too, if he had not stayed home from work that day. With Lily past her due date, he was too afraid to leave her at home alone and would be out of work at least until the baby came.

An hour later, Sirius found himself, along with Moody and seven other Aurors, crouched against the wall of an abandoned building on the outskirts of London. He was quick to shove any apprehension he felt aside. It was dangerous, to storm a place such as this without doing any surveillance, without getting the feel of the layout. There was no way to measure what awaited them on the other side of the wall, how many of their enemies were inside. But this was his job, and he would do what he had to.

Moody gave them hushed, hurried instructions and then they were off. It did not take the Death Eaters long to discover them. Initially, it seemed that there were not too many, but soon more entered the main room. The Aurors were outnumbered, but not severely, and spells were soon flying in all directions. The Aurors were more tying to subdue, so that they could make arrests, but the Death Eaters were aiming to kill, making the job more difficult.

Sirius spun and dodged, casting spells nearly nonstop. All of the Death Eaters were masked, and he could not tell who it was he was dueling with. But it did not matter. Hatred burned at each and every one of them.

A roaring shout suddenly caught his attention and he whirled to his right. Moody was doubled over, clutching at his nose, blood spurting from between his fingertips. Sirius quickly cast a stunning spell at the offending Death Eater as he quickly made his way to his former mentor. The stunning spell did not hit, but it was enough to distract the Death Eater until he could move between him and Moody. When Moody saw that Sirius had it under control, he limped off, still trying to staunch the bleeding, barking orders at his Aurors to hurry up. Sirius turned his full attention to the Death Eater, who had recovered.

"Black," the Death Eater said, and Sirius's heart leapt in his throat as adrenaline surged through his body.

"Rosier," he snarled, feeling a rush of anger.

"How's your blood-traitor whore?" Rosier asked tauntingly, and Sirius could hear the smirk he wore. "Did she pull through?"

"_Crucio_!"

Rosier only just managed to duck out of the way. He yanked his mask off to allow him to see better and his dark eyes glared dangerously at Sirius.

"The two of you," Rosier spat, "Cause me too much trouble. Do you know how displeased the Dark Lord is that I allowed her to get away? He only wanted to use her a bit longer. He was close to disposing of her. The only good thing is that I never told her anything, so she couldn't go blabbing to you lot."

"Do you remember what I told you?" Sirius called to him, an anger that he had never before felt building up inside of him. "Our sixth year? I'm not one to break promises."

Rosier rolled his eyes. "Yes, we all know how _noble_ you are, Black. Abandoning your family to stand up for what you believe in, fighting to protect those you love. You can't seem to protect Dawson, though. First her family, then what she went through. You've done a wonderful job."

"Shut it, Sirius snapped, sending a stunning spell his way.

Rosier blocked it with a shield charm. "She'll leave you in the end. Eventually, she'll see through your act."

"Shut it," he roared. "_Reducto_!"

This time when Rosier dove out of the way, he began to laugh, a cruel, loud sound that sent a shiver up Sirius's spin. Samantha had been at this man's mercy for nearly two months.

"You should have heard her scream," Rosier said between laughter. "A beautiful sound in my opinion. So much anguish. She called for you, you know. When she was delirious. Suppose she thought you'd come and save her." He snorted. "A lot of good that did her."

A roar was filling Sirius's ears, dull at first, but growing louder and louder until he could hear nothing else. He acted so quickly, that Rosier never had a chance. Sirius would not even be aware of what he was doing until after. He didn't even know where the spell came from. Looking back, he was sure he had come across it in one of Moody's old spell books, a dusty book on the Dark Arts that contained spells long forgotten. He'd gone through it once back when Samantha had been missing, back when Moody had him doing paper work all day. He hadn't memorized the spell, at least not on purpose. But at the moment, he was too blind with rage to know what he was doing.

"_Funestus morsus_!"

The spell hit Rosier directly in the chest, a jet of white light that upon impact, spread and consumed his whole body. He seemed surprised for a moment before his face twisted into that of agony, a terrible scream escaping from his lips. He collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain as he continued to scream. The spell worked similar to the Cruciatus Curse, causing unbearable pain, but the pain was even more excruciating, and the end result was death.

How long it lasted, Sirius would never know. As it happened, he felt suspended in time, consumed by his anger, reveling in his pain. He was avenging what had been done to his Samantha. No one hurt the ones he loved and got away with it.

Rosier never once stopped screaming, not until it was over. His voice went hoarse and his fingers were bloody from clawing at the floor until finally, he went still, his eyes staring unseeingly up at Sirius, his mouth still gaping open as if in a silent scream.

Sirius stood over his body, shaking in the rage that still consumed it, but was quickly ebbing away. The roaring was in his ears again and it took him a long moment to realize that this time, it was from the absolute silence around him.

The last of his anger left in a rush, leaving him exhausted. He nearly fell to his knees, but stubbornly stayed on his feet. He didn't even hear Moody approaching him until he called his name.

"Black," Moody said softly to his right.

Sirius started and suddenly dreaded facing his boss.

"I didn't mean to…" he muttered, turning.

He expected anger, maybe disappointment. But Sirius did not expect the deep understanding Moody was looking at him with at that moment.

"I know you didn't," he said gruffly, clapping him on the shoulder. "Go home, Black. I'll see you on Monday."

"Monday?" Sirius echoed. "But-"

"Just go, Black," Moody told him. "You'll be glad for the time come tomorrow."

Sirius nodded and argued no further. All he wanted was to go home.

The flat was dark when he stepped inside a little while later. He hadn't expected anything different. It was well after midnight and when he had sent Samantha the message that he would be home late, he had specifically told her not to wait up for him. He slipped out of his cloak and hung it in the closet before making his way towards the bedroom. Normally, he ate before heading to bed, but he didn't have much of an appetite.

When he opened the bedroom door, his eyes found her right away. She was curled up in the bed, sound asleep, with Mica right beside her. For a long moment, he stood there watching her sleep, trying to block out what Rosier had said to him earlier. But now all he could do was imagine her screaming, imagine her calling for him. All he wanted was to curl up into bed beside her, but he made himself move into the bathroom.

He turned the shower on and allowed the water to get nearly scalding hot before stripping off his Auror robes and stepping into the water, allowing it to wash the blood and dirt that remained on his skin from the night. The water stung, but he hardly noticed. It distracted him from the anger that still bubbled inside him.

He eventually turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, drying himself with a towel before pulling on his boxers. He moved to the sink and quickly brushed his teeth before running a hand across the mirror to clear off the condensation. He studied his reflection, brushing his damp hair out of his face. The adrenaline that had been pumping through him was long gone, a deep exhaustion settling into his bones in its place. But anger still lingered in his grey eyes.

He quickly turned from the mirror and switched the light off before moving back into the bedroom. Samantha was still asleep. He moved to the other side of the bed and climbed in, slipping between the cool sheets. He slid close to her, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She shifted and murmured something, one of her hands moving to rest on top of his own.

"I love you, Samantha," he said softly before pressing his face to her neck.

She opened her eyes, realizing in an instant that something was wrong. She could hear it in his voice, feel it in the way he was holding her so tightly. She turned in his arms and brought a hand up to his head, running her fingers through his damp hair. For a long while, neither of them spoke, and she had just decided that he had fallen asleep, that he would talk to her in the morning, when he finally spoke, so quietly that she nearly missed what he said.

"I killed him," he mumbled, his voice muffled by her neck.

An icy dread spread through her veins at his words.

"Killed who?" she asked, running her fingers through his hair again, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

He took so long to reply that she thought perhaps he hadn't heard.

"Rosier," he finally whispered.

She tensed at the name. It had been a month and a half since James had found her, but the memories were still fresh and they still tormented her every day. She felt him pull away from her neck and turned to meet his gaze. There was an anger in the depths of his eyes, one she had never seen before.

"I warned him," he told her. "Remember? Sixth year. I told him if he ever touched you again, I would kill him. He was there tonight; took a chunk out of Moody's nose. He…said things and I lost my temper."

His eyes closed and his hand found hers, squeezing it tightly.

"I didn't even know I knew the curse I used. I came across it once, but I didn't think I'd memorized it. It's an old curse, one long forgotten, and it's just like the Cruciatus Curse, only it's designed to kill. I killed him, Sam. Moody seemed to understand, but he shouldn't. What I did makes me no better than Rosier."

Samantha shook her head, bringing the hand that was he was not holding so very tightly to the side of his face, gently running her thumb over his cheek. His eyes opened at her touch and he met her gaze hesitantly.

"Don't compare yourself to him," she told him softly. "You are a much better person than he ever was."

"Am I?" he asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.

"Yes," she said firmly. "There is absolutely nothing about you that I would change."

"Mm," he nearly smiled. "I don't believe you."

"You're perfect the way you are."

He shook his head and she saw something flash across his eyes. "Not compared to you," he murmured wearily, shifting slightly and lying his head on her stomach. Her hand automatically moved to his hair, her fingers running through it absentmindedly.

"What did he say to you," she asked him softly, "to make you so angry?"

He sighed heavily. "He told me I was incapable of protecting the ones I love…of protecting you. And he was right. First your family and what you went through after. When you went missing, I couldn't find you, and it was all my doing in the first place. Not that I even looked as hard as I should have. I'd already decided the worst."

"Sirius, we've been through this," she said. "None of that was your fault. You couldn't have prevented any of it."

He opened his mouth, but she cut him off with a sharp shake of her head.

"Don't you dare argue with me, Sirius Black," she told him sternly. "Absolutely none of it was your fault. It couldn't have been avoided. And it changes nothing. So stop trying to come up with reasons why I should hate you."

His lips tilted into a smile, but there was a bitterness to it. With a heavy sigh, he shifted off of her, dropping his head onto his pillow, his gaze firmly on the ceiling.

"He told me that you would leave me. That I wasn't good enough for you. And he's right. I'm not."

She shook her head and shifted to be close to him once again, lying her head on his shoulder. "I'm not going to leave you," she said quietly. "And you're more than enough for me."

"Hm." His eyes closed and his smile turned to one of contentment. "I love you, Sammie."

Her hand was resting on his chest and he reached for it, his fingers finding her ring and began to toy with it.

"Just one more year," he murmured. "One more year and you'll be mine."

When Nichole offered to be her mentor, she mentioned that if they worked hard enough, they could catch her up on her training, which would put her at only another year. She shook her head against his chest.

"I'm already yours."

Sirius wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him. She fell asleep not long after. She'd already been asleep, after all, and hadn't quite woken up. With her lying against him, he found whatever remained of his anger had disappeared. He fell asleep surprisingly easy, finally having found piece of mind after all that had occurred that night.

He couldn't have slept long. It could only have been more than an hour before he was woken up by a sudden silvery light in their room. He stared at the patronus groggily, listening to the message that was being delivered. Samantha jerked awake as the message ended and the patronus disappeared.

"What's going on?" she asked breathily, her voice laced with sleep.

Sirius sighed and brushed his hand down her arm.

"Lily's gone into labor."

* * *

**End Chapter**


	48. Chapter Forty Eight

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay! School has been super busy. So I have a bit of good news (I hope you'll see it as good news) and better news. First of all, the next chapter will be the last chapter of this story. It's kind of bothering me that it won't end solidly on fifty chapters, but I don't have enough stuff left to cover two more chapters. The better news is, as I've said before, there is a whole part left to go, and I think it will be a lot longer than this half. Part of the reason I've been so slow is because I've been itching to get on to the next part, though you would think that would just make me work faster. There's not much left to cover so you'll notice in this chapter, and especially the next, that there are bigger time jumps. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

****Fate

Chapter Forty Nine

"Can't we just go back to bed?" Sirius grumbled twenty minutes later as they stepped into the lift at St. Mungo's. "The baby can just wait a few hours, can't it?"

Samantha scowled. "No, it can't just wait, Sirius. That's not how it works."

"Well it should." He wrapped his arms around her, leaning his cheek against her head and closing his eyes. "An hour's sleep is not nearly enough."

The lift stopped at the correct floor and he released her to follow her out of the lift, stumbling slightly. He couldn't remember a time when he had been so exhausted. Days after running about the Hogwarts grounds with his friends left him tired, but they had not been emotionally draining. All he wanted was to pull Samantha back to bed and sleep forever, but his exhaustion was slowly ebbing away into excitement. Lily and James were having a child. A small part nagged at him, telling him that it was the thirty-first and that the Prophecy was coming true, but he shoved that thought away. There was no point in worrying about it now.

They found as they stepped off the lift that they weren't quite sure where to go. Samantha stopped a passing nurse to find out what room. Sirius hung back, noticing how happy the nurse seemed to see her. They knew each other, he guessed. This was Samantha's first time at St. Mungo's since April. She was bound to run into more people she knew. The nurse pointed them in the right direction and he followed Samantha down the hall. They heard James before they even reached the room.

"Do you need anything? Are you comfortable? What about ice? Do you want ice?"

Samantha rolled her eyes at Sirius, who was now grinning, before stepping into the room. Lily's gaze turned to them and her annoyed face turned to that of relief when she caught sight of them. She was lying in the bed, a slight pain-filled expression of her face, beads of sweat dotting her forehead. James was pacing to the right of the bed, running his hands through his hair, making it even wilder than normal.

"Thank Merlin the two of you are here," Lily said, shooting James a look. "Can you do something about that? He's making me anxious."

Samantha gave Sirius a pointed look. He caught on quickly and moved to James, grabbing hold of his arm.

"Come on, mate," he said, pulling him out of the room.

Samantha smiled when the door closed behind them and moved to the bed, sitting down in the chair beside it.

"He's almost here," she said, reaching out and taking Lily's hand.

"Finally," Lily breathed in response. "It's about bloody time. I only wish the pain didn't come with it."

Perfectly timed, she gasped and closed her eyes, squeezing Samantha's hand tightly as a contraction seized her body. In a few moments, it had passed, and Lily sighed and relaxed back against the pillows, her eyes still closed.

A knock sounded at the door and Samantha glanced towards it, expecting it to be either James and Sirius returning or Peter or Remus arriving. They'd woken Remus before they left to tell him, and he'd said he would get up and head over, but she honestly wouldn't have been surprised if he'd fallen back asleep. He wasn't exactly an easy person to wake up.

Instead, a young witch with loose curly black hair stepped into the room, a smile on her face and a goblet in her hands.

"Hi, Lily," she said as she stepped closer to the bed.

Lily's eyes opened and her face brightened into a smile. "Hello, Ciara. Sam, this is Ciara Quinn. She finished school at Hogwarts this year and took over my old job since they needed a replacement. I used to tutor her in potions."

"I thought you looked familiar," Samantha said with a smile. "Lily must have been a good tutor considering you're now a potions maker for the hospital."

"I owe it all to her," Ciara replied. "And speaking of potions," she held out the goblet to Lily, "I have one here for you. It should help with the pain soon. And Nichole told me that she'd be back to check on you soon."

"Oh, thank you," Lily said gratefully before another contraction took hold of her. When it had passed, Ciara handed her the goblet and Lily drank it quickly, hoping it worked quickly.

"I have to get back to work," Ciara said. "I'll come by when my shift ends. Hopefully you have a baby by then."

"I certainly hope so," Lily agreed. She didn't want her labor to last much longer.

"Can I get you anything?" Samantha asked as Ciara left.

Lily winced as another contraction coursed through her. "My husband would be nice," she ground out between clenched teeth. Samantha stood, intending to go track him and Sirius down, but Lily reached out and grabbed her arm, keeping her from moving away. "No, don't leave me," she pleaded. "I'm sure they'll be back soon."

Nodding, Samantha sank back into the chair. "He'll be fine," she said in assurance. "He's just panicked. All men get that way. My mother once told me how big a mess my father was when she gave birth both times."

Lily groaned. "Well if your father was a mess, then James must be going bloody mental."

He was, of course. But Sirius drug him off and had a long talk with him and by the time they returned, he was at least a lot better at hiding his panic. With them were James's parents, both looking excited at the birth of their first grandchild. Remus and Peter arrived not long after and they stayed by Lily's side until Nichole declared it was time for the baby to come. Only James was permitted to stay in the room during the birth, so the rest of them filed out into the hallway.

Sirius immediately leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. He caught Samantha's hand and tugged, a silent request for her to join him.

"I don't want to sit on the floor," she protested, but when he pulled more insistently, she sighed and complied, sinking to the floor beside him.

He sighed and rested his head against her shoulder, his eyes closing. She was not sure how, but in the excitement of knowing that Lily was giving birth on the other side of the door- and being able to hear Lily shouting at James through it- Sirius fell asleep.

They weren't waiting long. Not twenty minutes later, James burst out into the hallway to exclaim that he had a son. As he darted back into the room to rejoin Lily, he called over his shoulder that they could come in and see him. Grace and Joseph went into the room right away, eager looks on their faces.

Samantha glanced at Sirius, who had not woken up in all of James's shouting. She wanted to go meet the baby, her godson she realized, but she did not want to wake him either. She was saved to decide when Peter moved towards them and kicked Sirius's foot. He jerked awake and when he saw Peter standing over him, he glared.

"What was that for, Wormtail?" he mumbled.

"The baby's here," Remus said, crossing his arms across his chest. "James just came bursting out here to tell us, but you slept through it."

Sirius's head rolled across her shoulder, tilting up so he could look at her. "Really?" he asked.

"Yes," she said with a nod. "Just a moment ago."

Slowly, a grin spread across his face. He sat up and stuck his hand out into the air. "Moony, help me up," he demanded. "I have a baby to welcome into this world."

Remus rolled his eyes and moved to help Samantha stand instead. Sirius glared darkly at him for a moment before pushing himself to his feet with a grunt. It was remarkable, the change in him. A moment ago he had been asleep, but now he burst into the room with a large grin on his face, loudly declaring that the baby's favorite godfather had arrived. The baby promptly began to cry and rolling her eyes, Samantha followed him into the room.

They stayed for a long while. James and Lily decided to name the baby Harry. They hadn't thought of it before hand, but when James had seen him, he'd decided that his son looked like a Harry. Lily had agreed. Grace was holding him for the majority of the time, fawning over her grandson. Lily watched them with a large, but tired, smile on her face.

Peter left first after an hour. Remus left not long after, being expected at work. He left bleary eyed, hoping he could leave in the afternoon and get some sleep. Grace and Joseph left next after another hour. Sirius was holding Harry, a soft smile on his face. His eyes were bloodshot and hardly open and he looked as if he could collapse at any moment. James, seated on the other side of the bed, had dozed off, exhausted from the morning.

Samantha reached out and rested her hand on his arm. "Sirius, are you ready to go?"

He shook his head, his gaze still on Harry. "No, not yet."

Samantha exchanged a smile with Lily. Even after James had woken back up and had taken Harry did Sirius still not want to leave. Only when he was falling asleep against Samantha once again did she declare it time to go. It was late morning by then, nearly afternoon. He allowed her to pull him to his feet, not even bothering to open his eyes.

It was an unspoken agreement between them that they were going back to bed. When they finally reached their bedroom, Sirius collapsed straight onto the bed, not bothering to change clothes. He kicked his shoes off before burying himself under the covers. She shook her head at him as she pulled her robes off before slipping into her pajamas. When she slid into the bed, he rolled over and draped his arm across her stomach.

"I want a baby," he mumbled.

She looked down at him in surprise. "What?"

"A baby. I want a baby."

She shook her head at him, shifting to get more comfortable. "Not right this moment," she told him. "Go to sleep."

He muttered something else, though she could not make it out, before he fell silent, falling asleep nearly instantly. She was not far behind, and they slept well into the afternoon. Later, he did not seem to recall his words before he'd fallen asleep and she decided to keep them to herself. Just knowing he'd said them was enough for her at the time.

* * *

The month of August brought around many changes.

Two days after Harry's birth, he and Lily went home. But they did not return to the home Lily and James had lived in for the past two years. Instead, they went to a small flat on the other side of London. It would be an adjustment for them to live there, but they would do whatever they had to to keep Harry safe. A week after he was brought home, a small, quick ceremony was held to officially make Sirius and Samantha Harry's godparents.

On the first Monday of the month, Samantha finally returned to St. Mungo's to continue her training, this time under Nichole. Sirius would not allow her to be out of the flat alone, and so every morning he would walk her to the hospital and every evening, he would pick her up to take her home. On days he had to work late, he sent Remus in his place. She did not particularly like it, but she did not bother to argue with him about it, not anymore. She was exhausted after the first few days, but slowly she adjusted to the demanding schedule once more.

The most unexpected change came with a knock on the door in the afternoon of the last Sunday of the month. Sirius was seated at the table, bent over a report he was filling out, to be turned in first thing in the morning. Remus was seated across from him, a book opened in front of him. They both looked towards the door when the knock echoed through the flat.

"Expecting anyone?" Remus asked, already knowing the answer. Sirius would have let him know if he was.

"No. You?"

Remus shook his head in response and Sirius pushed himself to his feet and made his way to the door. He unlocked it slowly, and though he was not sure who to expect on the other side, he was surprised to find it was Adrien.

The brown haired man stared at him evenly, the anger that had been in his eyes for the past several months whenever Sirius saw him gone, though if it was truly gone or just disguised, he could not be sure. For a long moment, they just stared at each other, neither one speaking.

Finally, Adrien broke the silence by clearing his throat. "Is Sam here?"

Sirius nodded, stepping aside, allowing Adrien to step inside the flat. "She's in the shower, but she should be out soon. Should I go let her know you're here?"

Adrien shook his head. "That's alright. I can wait."

Despite the absence of Adrien's usual anger, there was still tension in the air between them. Sirius ran a hand through his hair, wanting desperately to escape it.

"Well, Remus and I were just about to go grocery shopping," he said, catching the way Remus's eyes shot his way when he spoke. They had, of course, had no such plans.

Adrien lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. "I don't mind waiting alone."

Sirius was sure he wasn't imagining the relief in his voice. When Adrien was not looking his way, he shot Remus a pointed look. The werewolf glared at him for a moment before rising to his feet and heading towards his room, muttering something about needing shoes. He knew Remus would have preferred to not leave the house that afternoon. But this was the first time Adrien had made an attempt to speak to Samantha since their fight back at the beginning of July. It felt right to give them space to talk alone.

When Remus reappeared, they left after telling Adrien to help himself to anything. As soon as the door closed behind them, Adrien moved to the stove to boil some water for tea, more to have something to do other than just sit there waiting. He heard the shower shut off just as he was setting the kettle on the stove top. By the time he was setting two cups of tea on the table, he heard the bedroom door open.

She stepped into the room a moment later, running her fingers through her wet hair. He had to look twice at her, as he always did now, due to her short hair. She had always worn it so long, and he still had not gotten used to it brushing her shoulders. She hadn't either; he could tell by the way her hand jerked roughly when she reached the tips of her hair as if she still expected it to continue.

Her gaze landed on him then and she froze, her eyes wide in surprise.

He shifted uncomfortably when she didn't speak. "I made some tea," he said quietly, gesturing at the cups on the table. "If you want some."

She took a hesitant step forward. "Where's Sirius?"

"He said he was going to buy groceries. Remus went, too. He said they'd already planned to, but I know he just wanted to leave."

Her eyes narrowed. "He didn't abandon me, if that's what you're getting at," she said defensively. "This is the first time you've offered to speak to me in two months. He just wanted to give us space."

He held up a hand to silence her. "I know. I wasn't…" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Can we talk?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know. Can we?"

A strained look passed over his face. "Please?"

She stared at him for a long moment before she slowly let her arms fall to her sides. As she stepped forward hesitantly, he gestured at the table before sliding into a chair. She slipped into the chair across from him, watching him warily.

"How have you been?" he asked softly, running his hand through his hair again. It was standing up in odd directions and she wondered how many times his fingers had brushed through it while he'd been waiting on her to get out of the shower.

She lifted a shoulder. "Fine."

He sighed heavily, dropping his hand to the table. "Sam, please. It was hard for me to come here and face you, you know. You could make this a little easier."

"Could I?" she asked, her eyes flashing. "I'm sorry, did you think I'd make this easy on you? Did you think I would just forgive you without a thought?"

"No." This time, both his hands ran through his hair. "No, I didn't think that. You have every right to be mad at me."

"Did you come up with that all on your own or did Nichole have to tell you that?"

His hands dropped to the table again, but this time, they slammed into the wood loud enough to make her jump.

"Whatever," he muttered, shoving away from the table and rising to his feet. "I shouldn't have come."

He made his way towards the door. She stared at his back, watching him go, until his hand was on the door knob. Then, despite her anger at him, she felt guilt over how she had been treating him when he had come to apologize.

"Adrien, wait."

He paused and slowly turned back towards her. She had stood and followed him part way to the door. She wouldn't quite meet his gaze as he stared at her expectantly. When she didn't speak, her gaze firmly on the floor, he sighed and took a step towards her.

"Look, I know I had no right to say what I did. You're…" he shifted his weight. "You're happy, that much I can tell. And I don't think you would have recovered so quickly if it hadn't been for him. And so I'll put my personal feelings aside, try to move past them even, as long as you're happy."

She nodded and finally looked up to meet his gaze. "Alright. That's all I've ever wanted you to do, Adrien. Try."

He gave her a hesitant smile. "I will. I promise. So are we…alright?"

"We will be."

His smile turned grateful and he brushed his hand through his hair again, though this time in relief.

"We'll have the two of you over for dinner soon, okay?"

"Okay," she replied, giving him a small smile.

He glanced around and shuffled his feet for a moment. "Well, I ought to go. I'll see you later this week at the Order meeting?"

"Yeah. I'll see you there."

He smiled at her for a moment longer before he turned back to the door, this time opening it and slipping from the flat, closing it quietly behind him. She stood staring at the door for a long moment after he left. She had truly thought she'd never be on speaking terms with her brother ever again. They'd been around each other plenty of times at Order meetings and he'd ignored her at every one, though Sirius had told her he'd seen him looking at her when she wasn't paying attention. She hadn't believed him. And though things were far from being normal between them, they were a lot closer to it than they had been even just that morning.

She was seated on the couch, a book in her lap, when she heard the door to the flat open half an hour later. She heard Sirius and Remus speaking, the rustle of bags of food they had likely bought just in case Adrien had still been there. A moment later, the cushions shifted as Sirius dropped down on the couch beside her, his arm wrapping around her shoulders.

"How did it go?" he whispered in her ear.

"Hm." She smiled and leaned against him, lying her head on his shoulder. "We're going to be alright."

"Good," he told her, kissing the top of her head lightly. "I knew you would be."

* * *

At the meeting held a few days later, the Order began to work on their new plan of action. Moody was growing tired of having to wait for tips on Death Eater locations, and so he proposed they lure them out instead. Everyone seemed wary of the risky idea, though even Dumbledore seemed to think it might be worth a try. But the headmaster warned them of the dangers of the plan, and said that they would only do it if they had volunteers. It had only taken one shared glance before both Gideon and Fabian agreed. Obviously pleased, Moody made plans to meet after the main meeting was over. With the idea so dangerous, he decided it would be best to keep plans between only a few. He requested the help of Remus and Samantha to help plan. They both agreed, and so after the meeting, the five of them hung back. Sirius hadn't wanted to leave Samantha, but since Remus was staying as well, she was able to convince him it would be alright.

And so began a long month of late nights bent over scrolls of parchment and roughly drawn maps. It wasn't unusual for Sirius to come home from work to find Samantha, Remus, Fabian, and Gideon gathered around the kitchen table, speaking in hushed tones between them. It would break up as soon as he got home. Many nights, he had to convince Samantha to put her work away and come to bed. She was still training full time at the hospital, and her energy still left her a lot quickly than it used to. He was worried she would make herself ill.

The plan was to be carried out at the end of September. The Order members knew when it was happening, but their knowledge of it did not extend much further than that. Sirius knew a bit more than others, from things he had overheard or glimpsed. He knew the general idea, how they planned to lure the Death Eaters to their location, how they were just going to dispose of as many as they could. It was a risky plan, but if anyone could pull it off, it was Gideon and Fabian. No more did Moody care about apprehending Death Eaters for questioning. Though he still preferred to question them if he could, he was ready to just put a stop to the war through any means necessary.

Samantha and Remus met Moody, Fabian, and Gideon at one of the locations the Order met. Dumbledore was there was well, but that was all. It wasn't an official Order meeting. They spent an hour running through the plan one last time. They had been careful, and had made plans in case things went wrong. Gideon and Fabian would be going alone. Moody, Dumbledore, Remus, and Samantha would be observing from where they were. The less people present, the less suspicious it would look, and so the two brothers would be on their own. But the plan was careful. The plan was foolproof. Or so they had thought.

It was after midnight when Sirius got the message. He hadn't been asleep, not really. Just dozing on the couch, waiting for Samantha and Remus to come home. His heart had seized at the message. There was only one reason why an emergency meeting was being called.

He entered the old brick farmhouse where his first ever Order meeting had been held half an hour later. The subdued atmosphere surrounding those who had already arrived confirmed what he already suspected. He made his way through the house, heading towards the main room where the actual meetings were held. He caught sight of Moody first, standing in the middle of the room, deep in conversation with Dumbledore. His magical eye swiveled towards him briefly, followed by a quick nod towards the far corner of the room. Sirius followed his nod and found her.

She was seated in a chair, hunched over. Her short hair hid her face enough that he could not make out her expression. He grabbed another chair and carried it towards her, setting it down right beside her. She paid him no mind as he sunk into the chair, his hand sliding down her back.

"Sam," he called softly. At his voice, she turned her face away from him. "Sammie, look at me." His reached up, brushing her hair away from her face. He saw a tear slip down her cheek and sighed, tugging at the sleeve of her robes. "Sam, come here."

She suddenly slumped against him, pressing her face into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, practically pulling her into his lap. He expected her to cry, but apparently the tear he had seen had only slipped through. He could tell by how tense she was that she was doing her best to hold it in. Normally, he would tell her not to do that, but here in front of the Order, he let her be, tightening his arms and resting his cheek against his head.

Eventually, when the murmur of voices grew louder, when people began to migrate into the room, she sat up. Their chairs were so close that their shoulder still brushed together, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as Dumbledore began to speak. James appeared suddenly, standing behind them. He did not see Peter or Remus, but he was sure they were somewhere in the room.

"As you all have now heard, we lost two invaluable Order members tonight. We have lost two dear friends." The headmaster paused for a long moment before continuing. "They knew the risks. Fabian and Gideon Prewitt were involved in the Order from the start. They dedicated their lives to this war, and their efforts helped us gain enormous strides. Although I was a bit wary of the most recent plan to confront Death Eaters, when Fabian and Gideon volunteered themselves, I was hopeful. If anyone could do it, they could.

"There was a month of careful planning, and tonight, we were certain we had accounted for everything." Sirius felt Samantha go tense and his free hand found her hands, folded on her lap. He set his hand on top of them and squeezed them comfortingly. "However, we had not planned for if the Death Eaters knew from the start that they were being set up."

Something cold settled in Sirius's stomach. Behind him, he heard James breath in sharply. Dumbledore's blue eyes roamed the room, the usual twinkle gone. He seemed to be studying each and every one of them as if he were searching for something.

"Alastor and I have been talking, and we have come to one conclusion. Someone has betrayed us."

The silence that followed was deafening. And then everyone was talking at once. Sirius glanced at Samantha. Her face was impassive, her eyes glued to the far wall, and he assumed she'd already known what Dumbledore was going to say. It made sense. She'd been there, along with Remus, when everything had gone wrong. She'd likely been involved in the discussion that led to the conclusion that there was a traitor in the Order. He glanced behind him, exchanging a grim look with James.

"Of course, we have been suspicious for some time," Dumbledore continued when he managed to silence the room once again. "But this is the first time that we can know for sure. There is no indication of who it could be, though since this plan was kept fairly quiet, it is very likely someone in this room. We are going to have to be more careful. The entire Order is now compromised…"

Everything said after that was a blur. Sirius could remember bits and pieces. How they needed to be more careful. How they were advised to not leave their homes alone. That wouldn't be much of an adjustment. He already refused to allow Samantha out of the flat alone. They would do what they could to expose the traitor, of course, but now that the traitor's presence was known, he or she would be more careful.

It was close to three o'clock in the morning when he finally stepped inside the flat with Samantha and Remus. Their walk into the building had been relatively silent. He and Remus spoke a few times, but Samantha hadn't spoken once since he'd arrived at the meeting. When they stepped inside, he took her cloak, and then she promptly retreated to the bedroom, the door closing behind her.

Sirius sighed as he moved to hang their cloaks in the closet.

"She's not spoken to me once," he said to Remus, running a hand through his hair.

"She just needs time," Remus replied.

"Yeah," he muttered, shuffling towards the bedroom. "I'm going to bed. 'Night, Moony."

The room was dark when he slipped through the door. As his eyes adjusted, he could make out her form lying on the bed. She was lying on her stomach, her face pressed into her pillow. Her shoulders were shaking.

He slid into the bed with a sigh, lying against the pillows and running his hand down her back. She did not need any more prompting. She moved closer to him, lifting her head to rest it on his chest. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her against him. She shook in his arms, trying her best to stifle the sobs that threatened to escape her.

"It's not your fault," he told her softly, tracing circles on her shoulder with his thumb. "It's not your fault, love."

Who fell asleep first, he did not know. He remembered whispering comforting things in her ear, and then the next thing he knew it was morning and his body was stiff from being kept in the same position all night. Samantha was still sound asleep against his chest and he sighed, shifting into a more comfortable position, before drifting back to sleep. As long as Samantha was still asleep, he was in no hurry to get up.

* * *

The funeral was held three days later. Most of who were in attendance were Order members, but there were some other people there that Sirius did not recognize. In the front row, there was a man and woman, both with red hair. There were five boys sitting between them, all with red hair as well. The man was holding a baby that did not look much older than Harry. Sirius recalled that Gideon and Fabian had had a younger sister, Molly, and he was certain that that was her and her family.

After the funeral, James managed to talk him into going to The Three Broomsticks with him, Remus, and Peter. Sirius was reluctant at first, not wanting to leave Samantha alone. But she assured him that she would be fine, that he needed to take some time to go out. He agreed hesitantly, but he insisted on taking her home first. She protested, but he wouldn't back down, and so he took her home before making his way to join his friends at The Three Broomsticks. They already had a large glass of firewhiskey ready for him and, shedding his cloak, he sank into his chair gratefully.

"Not drinking much, Prongs?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrows at the significantly smaller glass of firewhiskey sitting in front of James. Beside it was a glass of water.

James lifted his shoulders, a scowl on his face. "Lily told me I'd better not come home drunk tonight. Told me if I even smelled too much like alcohol that I could sleep on the couch."

"You have a child now," Remus pointed out. "It's generally frowned upon when those caring for a child are drunk."

James scoffed. "As long as Lily's sober, it doesn't matter. I deserve a night every now and then."

"You didn't say that to Lily, did you?" Peter asked.

"Of course not," came the indignant reply.

"I think he's finally opened his big gob enough that he's learned when to not say things," Sirius said, earning himself a glare from James.

"At least I've learned how to keep my mouth shut, unlike some of us."  
Sirius's eyebrows rose. "Are you referring to me? Because I'm well aware of when to keep my mouth shut and when to not."

"Sure, but sometimes you're an ass and say what you want anyway," Peter pointed out.

"Hm," Sirius said in response, taking a drink of his firewhiskey.

Remus rolled his eyes. "He doesn't even try to deny it."

Sirius shrugged. "If you lot are aware of it, then why make the effort to deny it? Besides, I've gotten a lot better about it lately."

James snorted. "The two of you were arguing after the funeral."

Sirius waved his hand. "That was completely different."

"They've been arguing over Sirius's insistence to take her everywhere for months," Remus spoke up. "You learn to ignore them eventually."

"How is she?" James asked quietly. "I know she and Fabian were close…"

Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "She's been upset, as you can imagine. But she's doing better that I would have thought. Though the news that their deaths was because of a member of the Order made it worse."

James clenched his jaw tightly, his gaze firmly on the table. "A traitor in the Order," he muttered. "It makes sense, I suppose. Moody has his spies amongst the Death Eaters. We should have known Voldemort would have inside spies as well."

Peter fidgeted in his chair, uncomfortable with the turn of conversation, although he knew it would likely come up. No one seemed to have noticed his discomfort, so he quickly shoved it aside. "Who do you think it is?" he asked. He'd been wanting to know since it had been announced that Dumbledore and Moody were aware of a spy in their midst, but the right time to ask had not come up until now.

"They were able to stay unknown for a surprising amount of time," Remus said. Moody and Dumbledore had guessed that the traitor had been present for the better part of a year at least. "Until Fabian and Gideon's deaths, the thought that someone was betraying us was only a nagging at the back of our minds. Until their deaths, everything was subtle enough to not raise suspicion."

Sirius took a long drink of his firewhiskey before saying, "I can't even think of who it could be. When I think of everyone in the Order, I can't imagine anyone as the traitor."

"It would have to be someone who's alone enough to have time to go report to Voldemort without raising suspicions, I imagine," Remus said. "They would have had to, to keep it secret for so long."

Peter fidgeted in his chair again. After he'd joined the Death Eaters, he'd become withdrawn from his friends, skipping out on get-togethers and even Order meetings in fear of somehow revealing himself. Luckily, at the time they had attributed his behavior to the death of his father. But if they started thinking about it, they would realize he'd become withdrawn around the same time Moody and Dumbledore had decided the Order had begun to be betrayed. He quickly began thinking of who he could turn their attention towards, who fit the criteria Remus had listed. A name did come, though they wouldn't like it. It would be a ridiculous accusation, but it would divert their attention, so he prepared himself before he spoke.

"It could be Sam."

The table froze. Sirius had been drinking from his glass. Now, he lowered it slowly, his eyes darkening in anger. James looked just as angry and Remus had a shocked look on his face, though he was carefully watching Sirius, prepared to grab him if he attempted to launch himself across the table at Peter, which he looked very close to doing.

"What," Sirius said lowly, "makes you say that, Wormtail?"

Peter lifted his shoulders in a shrug, doing his best not to cower beneath Sirius's murderous glare. "I dunno. She was just with the Death Eaters for nearly two months, and then she was home alone for a long time after. She had plenty of time-"

"She was being _tortured_, Peter," Sirius hissed between tightly clenched teeth. "And the time spent at home was her recovering from that. She lost her family…there is no way in hell she would _ever_…"

His voice had grown louder as he rose out of his seat. Remus quickly glanced around before putting a hand on his shoulder and pushing him back down into his chair. They didn't need their conversation overheard.

"I know that," Peter said softly. "I don't actually think she is…she's just who came to mind after what Remus said."

"Well, next time, I suggest you keep it to yourself," he growled before he stood, roughly shoving his chair back. He dug in his pockets for a moment before slamming a few coins down on the table. "I'll see you lot later."

As Sirius stormed from the pub, James sighed and began to rub his forehead.

"I really didn't mean it," Peter said, glancing between James and Remus.

"We know, Pete," James replied, pulling Sirius's unfinished glass towards him to finish it off himself, no longer caring to listen to Lily's orders. "You know how he is. Just give him some time. He'll come around."

* * *

Remus fidgeted, fiddling with the sleeve of his robes as he glanced around Dumbledore's office. Not much had changed since his years at Hogwarts. The portraits of previous headmaster and headmistresses covered the walls. Some looked down at him in curiosity, some were snoring lightly. Some portraits were empty at the moment, the occupants having gone to another painting for a visit. Fawkes was on his perch behind the door, watching him. Remus had been in Dumbledore's office many times over his years at Hogwarts. Every now and then it was because of some scheme Sirius and James had concocted, but most of the time, it was Dumbledore wanting to check in on how he was doing.

He was here because Dumbledore had asked him to be. He had no idea what the meeting was for. It had nearly been a month since it became a known fact that there was a traitor in the Order, and he couldn't help but think it had something to do with that. All the letter requesting his presence had contained was a day and time, a password, and a request for him to write back only if the day and time did not work for him. It was late Friday afternoon, and though he'd needed to take a couple of hours of work off early to make the meeting, but he didn't much mind.

"I'm glad you could make it."

Startled, Remus whirled around to find that Dumbledore had just stepped inside his office. He hadn't heard the headmaster come in at all.

"Of course, sir," Remus said as he watched Dumbledore make his way to sit behind his desk. The headmaster gestured to the chairs in front of his desk, indicating that his guest should sit down. Remus did, wondering again why he had been summoned here.

Dumbledore seemed to know what he was thinking, because he said, "Are you wondering why I've called you here today, Remus?"

Remus cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes, sir, I am. I'll be seeing you at the Order meeting tomorrow night, and so I've been wondering what you needed to discuss with me that couldn't wait until then."

Dumbledore inclined his head. "Then let's jump right in, shall we?" He paused for a moment, his face growing more serious. "Voldemort is attempting to recruit werewolves to his cause."

Remus inhaled sharply. Of all the things he'd wondered what this meeting could be about, something such as this had never crossed his mind.

When the younger man did not speak, Dumbledore continued. "What he plans to use them for, I'm not sure. Attacks, most likely. Converting more to his side. He's targeting more feral ones, of course. Ones who've given up on joining society, who confine themselves. They tend to live in packs, and even if Voldemort were able to convince just one group to join, the situation would become very dangerous."

Running a hand through his hair, Remus sighed. "And they would have cause to join, feeling society has forced them into their seclusion. And what do I have to do with this?"

"We need to get to them first. Convince them that helping Voldemort would not be in their best interest, not in the long run. Which it wouldn't be. Once he has no use of them, he would dispose of them."

"And you wish me to be the one to speak to them."

"It won't be easy," Dumbledore said. "You'd be gone for weeks at a time. You would have to gain their trust before they'd even consider listening. But of one thing I am certain, they will only listen to one like them."

Sighing again, Remus propped his elbow up on the arm of his chair, resting his cheek in the palm of his hand. "And you feel that this is necessary."

"If Voldemort recruits any to his side, one of the first things they will do is turn more to increase their numbers."

Remus's stomach twisted uncomfortably. He imagined Fenrir Greyback, a werewolf who already sought out children to turn. That was how Remus had become what he was. His father had made Greyback angry, and so Greyback had made his son a werewolf. What if Voldemort convinced him to his side, and the children that were bitten became pawns in the war instead? He felt sick at the thought.

"What exactly do I need to do?"

Dumbledore's face was serious as he explained. "I would like to keep this between the two of us. With a traitor in the Order…" The headmaster trailed off and Remus nodded to show he understood. With an informant, if word got out of what they were doing, their plan would never have a chance at working. "As I've already stated, you'll be gone for weeks at a time. Your current living situation worries me. If you lived alone, this would be easier to keep secret."

Remus clenched his jaw at the thought. "I can easily fix that," he said quietly, already wondering how he would explain his sudden urge to move. "I still have my parents' cottage. I can go there."

Dumbledore inclined his head. "The rest I will tell you when the time comes for you to leave. The best places to look for these packs, what you should say to them. I'd like you to leave as early as next week."

That was soon, but Remus had already expected as much. That did not give him much time to move. And he would need to quit his job. He tried not to think of what that would do to the elderly shop owner.

"I'll leave as soon as you need me to, sir."

There hadn't been much left to discuss after that. A few minor details, but as Dumbledore had said, most of the rest he would tell when it came time for Remus to leave. As he made his way towards the castle gate, he worried about having to tell Sirius and Samantha that he would be moving out. He wasn't sure quite what he would say. By the time he had reached the flat, he'd decided he would get it over with that night, before he had too much time to dwell on it. He would move out as soon as possible after, possibly the next morning. Sirius wouldn't be happy with him, and the sooner he left, the less time Sirius had to try and talk him out of it.

"Moony!" Sirius greeted loudly when he stepped into the flat. "Were you working late? Well, you're just in time for dinner, so hurry up. Sam!"

Remus sighed and quickly hung his cloak up in the closet before making his way into the kitchen. Samantha wandered in from the back, her hair slightly tousled. She was still exhausted after returning home from work and tended to take a quick nap before dinner. When she caught sight of Remus, she rolled her eyes.

"He's in one of his moods," she told him while Sirius piled the spaghetti he'd cooked for dinner onto three plates, whistling loudly. "I had to lock him out of the bedroom so I could nap in peace."

Remus chuckled, but inside, he winced. He had a feeling he'd be ruining Sirius's good mood soon. But not right away. When Sirius placed his food in front of him with a flourish, Remus asked why he was in such a good mood, ignoring the way Samantha furiously shook her head. He was rewarded with a twenty minute rant on how he'd shown up James at work that day. Remus managed to hold conversation for most of dinner, but eventually his thoughts began to weigh him down and he found himself pushing what food he had left on his plate around by the end of dinner.

He hadn't even noticed that he was doing it, that he had fallen silent, until Sirius asked, "Something wrong, Moony?"

Remus started and glanced up to find Sirius staring at him from across the table. He shrugged. "No, nothing wrong."

Sirius raised his eyebrows, clearly not believing him. "You sure about that?"

Shaking his head, Remus sighed. "It's not anything wrong. Just something I've been thinking about."

"And that would be?"

Sighing again, Remus ran a hand through his hair. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Samantha was watching him as well. "That it was time for me to move home."

Sirius deflated in front of him, his eyes growing guarded. "Why do you say that?"

He shrugged. "I've been living here for two years. It was always just a temporary thing, right? And the two of you are engaged, going to be married soon. Wouldn't you rather live by yourselves?"

"It's dangerous to live by yourself," Sirius said. "As I've told you before."

"Then I'll put up protective charms."

"You don't feel unwelcome here, do you?" Samantha asked.

He looked at her and shook his head. "No, nothing like that," he reassured her. "I just think it's time for me to go."

"When were you planning on leaving?" Sirius asked.

Remus was surprised. He'd expected more of a fight. But he could see by the defeat in Sirius's eyes that he just did not have the energy to have the fight again. He cleared his throat. "I thought I would do it this weekend."

Sirius's face tightened. He'd obviously not expected it to be so soon.

"Fine," he said shortly, standing from the table roughly. He picked up his plate and dumped it into the sink with a loud crashing noise before he stormed to his bedroom. Remus flinched when the door slammed.

"I'm sorry," he said to Samantha. "I didn't mean to ruin his good mood."

She shook her head. "It's alright," she told him with a small smile. "He'll be fine."

He nodded, swallowed, and stood from the table, placing his dish into the sink before retreating to his own room to start packing. Now that Sirius was angry, he figured he would go ahead and just leave in the morning. The sooner he left, the sooner Sirius would put it behind him. Even though he was glad he was helping the cause, he couldn't help but wish Dumbledore had left him out of it. Things had been much more simple before.

* * *

Remus began moving his things early the next morning. Sirius didn't pay him any attention, and didn't offer to help, not that he'd expected him to. Samantha did offer her help, but Remus told her he was fine. By the time afternoon arrived, he was ready to make his last trip. When he told Sirius so, he only waved him off, not bothering to look up from the book he was reading. Samantha rolled her eyes and walked him to the door, telling him that Sirius would get over it, and to not hesitate to contact them if he needed them and to come visit whenever he wanted. He told her he would and then left, ignoring the heavy feeling in his chest as he did so. He'd grown used to living here, to having someone to talk to every day. He would have a hard time adjusting to being alone once again.

He quit his job that Monday. The shop owner had been sad to see him go. He had to move, he'd told her. Something had come up that he had to take care of right away. He apologized for not giving any notice. It hadn't been a lie, at least. She'd understood and made him promise to visit if he ever returned.

He spent a lonely week at his cottage, perfecting the protective charms he'd put up the day he'd moved home, cleaning two years' worth of dust. He unpacked, he read books, he rearranged his things. There was nothing much else for him to do. He never heard from Sirius, not that he expected to. He'd have to go see him whenever he was home next.

Dumbledore came on Friday, a week after their conversation. He was given a location, and some more instructions, and the next morning, he found himself in the middle of a forest with only the trees and birds for company and no idea where to go next. He did as Dumbledore had suggested and began walking.

It was odd for Sirius and Samantha, to no longer have Remus around. Sirius remained in a bad mood about his sudden moving out for the rest of the week, but as the weeks passed, his anger was forgotten. He worried that they never heard from Remus, though he didn't say so out loud. When Samantha suggested that maybe he should go check on him, Sirius refused and she let the subject drop.

They did not hear from him for the rest of October, or at all during November. James went by the cottage a few times to check on him, but he was never there. By the time Christmas arrived, there had still been no word from him.

"We're going to be late."

"No we're not."

"We're supposed to be there in five minutes."

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

Samantha crossed her arms as Sirius hurried into the sitting room, still buttoning his shirt. She had his cloak in her hand and held it out to him before slipping out the door. He followed, throwing on his cloak as they made their way down the hallway.

"I told you not to wait to shower at the last minute."

"Shut up," he muttered, but he was grinning as he slipped his arm around her waist. "Who's going to be there?"

She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "Just James and Lily, I think. Remus and Peter were invited but Peter's spending Christmas with his mum and Remus…"

She trailed off. They still had no word from Remus. James had left an invitation to his parents' home for Christmas at the cottage, but there had been no reply. She glanced up at Sirius. His jaw was clenched tightly, his eyes glaring straight ahead. But he shook himself from it quickly and smiled down at her.

"Think Harry's grown since the last time we saw him?"

"Since two days ago?" she asked him, voice flat. "Doubtful."

"We'll see," he told her with a grin.

When they arrived at the Potter home, Grace ushered them in out of the cold before taking their cloaks and fussing over them. Lily and James were already there, seated at the dining room table with Joseph. Harry was in Lily's arms and began to make babbling noises when he caught sight of Sirius, reaching towards him. With a smile, Lily passed Harry over to Sirius, who sat and settled him in his arms with a grin.

"Sorry we're late," he said. "Sam was moving a bit slow today."

Samantha smacked him on the shoulder. "No, someone waited until the last minute to take a shower."

Sirius didn't try to deny it. Samantha and Lily helped Grace move the extravagant Christmas feast she had cooked to the table, and then they began to eat. Sirius still held Harry, and held him with one arm while he struggled to eat with the other. Lily offered to take Harry when she noticed him struggling, but Sirius declined. The conversation was kept lighthearted. Usually when they got together, they filled Grace and Charles, both retired from the Order, in on its happenings, but tonight the subject was avoided. There would be plenty of time to speak of the war another day.

They were halfway through eating dinner when the doorbell rang. Silence fell around the table. After a moment's hesitation, James stood and went to see who it was. There was silence, and then James exclaimed loudly. A moment later, he came back to the dining room, dragging an exhausted looking Remus with him.

"Moony," Sirius shouted, standing to clap him on the back. "Where the bloody hell have you been?"

Remus gave him a sheepish smile. "I've been working nonstop lately, it seems."

"You look it."

"Sit down, sit down," Grace urged. "There's still plenty of food."

"I can't stay long," Remus said, taking the seat he was offered. "I'm so tired, I contemplated coming at all, but I wanted to come visit."

"Well, stay long enough to eat something at least. You're skin and bones."

It was true. On top of looking exhausted, Remus looked as if he had lost weight. But he ate plenty of food while he was there. No one questioned him about why he had disappeared for so long.

It didn't seem like a good subject to breach. Not that night. Just as he said, Remus didn't stay long. Only through dessert. He looked so tired, they didn't try to stop him.

After dessert, Lily and Samantha helped Grace to clear the table and wash the dishes. By the time everything was clear, it was late, and apologizing and telling them they could stay for as long as they wanted, Grace and Joseph went upstairs to bed.

After his parents were safely upstairs, James ran a hand through his hair. Sirius frowned and looked at him. They were in the sitting room. James was seated on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Sirius and Samantha were seated on the hearth. Lily had gone upstairs as well to try and get Harry to sleep. They would need to leave soon to put the baby to bed, but Lily had told James that they could stay for a few more minutes.

"They seemed more tired than normal," Sirius said to James.

James's face suddenly looked haggard and Sirius and Samantha exchanged a look.

"They're sick," James told them softly. "The healers don't know exactly what it is. Some wizarding illness that effects the elderly. They found several months ago."

"But they're going to be alright, right?"

James shook his head. "They're dying," he choked out, so quietly they nearly missed it.

Samantha's hand had been resting on Sirius's knee. Now, it clenched into a tight fist around the material of his trousers. Sirius moved his hand on top of hers, gripping it tightly.

"Isn't there something they can do?" Samantha asked.

"No, nothing. They say we just have to wait."

"That's it?" Sirius asked, more loudly than he meant to. He forced his voice to lower. "They're not going to try to fix it?"

"They've tried," James told him. "For months, apparently. There's nothing they can do."

"Does Lily know?" Samantha asked.

"Yeah, they told us together just last week. Said they were waiting to know more before they worried us. But I wish I'd known sooner. I would have tried to be around more."

"They were acting normal tonight," Sirius said.

"They don't see any reason for dreading something they can't control. They seem to have come to terms with it. Now we're just trying to let Harry be around them as much as possible. I just…" He ran a hand through his hair again. "I always worried about the war killing them. I never thought it would end up being something else."

"It'll be alright, Prongs," Sirius told him softly. He only wished he could believe it.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	49. Chapter Forty Nine

**NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.**

**Hey guys! Well, we've made it. This is the final chapter. But fear not. There is only one half of two. And the second story is likely to be longer, so if you're not ready to leave the characters behind yet, there is still plenty of time left. As of right now, I'm planning on calling the second story Happenstance. If I change it, it will be after I publish it so you can search for that title to find it. There is also the option of following me so you can see when I post something new. Or you can just check my profile until I post it. Whatever way works for you. I hope you guys follow me over to the next story, and if you don't, I hope you enjoyed this one. It's been a fun, long ride and I hope to make the next even better. **

**I'm not sure when I'll get the new story posted. I've started it and am about halfway through the first chapter, but I have a midterm and exam next week, a speech to write, and a term paper as well, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to finish. I'll aim for next weekend, but no promises here. **

**Enjoy and thanks to everyone, those who reviewed and those who silently followed along. I appreciate each and every one of you. **

* * *

Fate

Chapter Forty Nine

Sirius felt like he was dying.

It was the third week in January and he'd had a cold all week, but when he'd woken up that morning, he felt worse than he had in a long time. He'd tried to go to work anyway, hiding how terrible he felt from Samantha. She wouldn't have let him go to work if she'd known.

Now, he wished he hadn't gone at all. By mid-morning, Moody sent him home. When Sirius got home, he sent Samantha a patronus at work to let her know he was home sick. He'd then collapsed into bed and hadn't moved since.

Sometime not long after noon, he heard the door open. He was buried under the covers of the bed, despite the fever that was causing him to sweat. He groaned. He'd told her not to leave work early, to not worry about him. He should have known she wouldn't listen.

He heard her soft footsteps enter the room, and then the mattress shift as she sat down beside him. When her hand rested on top of the blankets where it covered his arm and she called his name softly, he shifted with another groan.

"I told you not to come," he muttered, pulling the covers off of his head so he could look at her.

She shook her head and ran a hand over his head, wincing when she felt how hot his skin was. "You know better than that."

When she moved to pull her hand away, he grabbed it and pressed it against his forehead, her cooler skin soothing the burning in his.

"I brought you a potion," she told him softly. He groaned loudly. "Don't be a baby," she chastised gently. "Here." With the hand he was not holding captive, she pulled a vial out of the pocket of her robes. "For the flu. You'll feel better after you take it."

"Do I have to?"

She rolled her eyes and held the vial out to him. He stared at her a moment longer before he released her hand and pushed himself up. Taking the offered vial, he drank it in one gulp, wincing at the taste.

"Can't you make that stuff taste any better?"

"I don't make it, I just give it."

He rested back against the pillows, setting the vial down on the bedside table before pulling the covers up higher.

"Do you want anything else?" she asked him.

He shook his head, his eyes closing. When he felt the mattress shift as she began to leave, he reached out and caught her hand, preventing her from leaving.

"Sit with me," he mumbled.

She sighed and slid up the mattress so that she could rest her back against the head board. He shifted so that his head rested against her side as he made a contented noise. Her hand moved to run through his hair and for a long time, they were silent. When the fever caused him to start shivering, she pulled the blankets tighter around him. When he complained of being too warm, she peeled back the comforter, leaving just the sheets covering him.

Eventually, he spoke something other than a complaint. It was a subject he never brought up on his own, and certainly not one she expected while he felt so ill.

"I stopped by Remus's work the other day. Since we hadn't heard from him since Christmas, I was worried."

"And how was he?" she asked. She worried about him all the time, and wanted to know how he was doing.

Despite how terrible he felt, his face turned bitter, his eyes darkening in anger. "He wasn't there. He quit. Right after he moved out of here."

"What?" she whispered. "That can't be right."

His furious gaze turned to her. "You know what this means, don't you?" She gave him a confused look in response. "He's the traitor, Sam. He's got to be."

"What?" she said again.

"Think about it. He's all but disappeared. He's moved out, quit his job. He hasn't been to an Order meeting in months."

"But…it's Remus, Sirius. He couldn't possibly-"

"What else would explain it?" he demanded to know. "The sudden change in him? And it happened just a month after we found out there was a traitor."

"It doesn't make any sense," she argued. "Why would he make himself so obvious after we know about the traitor?"

"He's all but gone. It doesn't matter anymore."

"Have you run this by Moody? Dumbledore?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, but James and I-"

She rolled her eyes. "James. In our second year, the two of you were convinced that our Defense teacher was a vampire."

"What does that have to do with it?"

"The two of you have always taken an idea and run with it, no matter how ridiculous it is. What makes this any different?"

Sirius made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat. "Look at the signs. James wasn't sure at first either, but once I laid it all out in front of him-"

"James has other things on his mind right now," she said softly.

He sighed and sought out her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. "Do you want to go visit them this weekend? James said they weren't feeling much up to visitors, but they'd make an exception for us."

She nodded. "If you're feeling better."

"I'd better be feeling better by then. I'd better be feeling better by tomorrow. I can't afford to miss any more work."

The hand he was not holding ran through his hair as she shook his head. "You're not going to work tomorrow. And you'll be lucky to go the next day."

He sighed and closed his eyes, laying back against his pillows. "I hate being sick," he grumbled.

"I know you do. I need to go back to the hospital and pick up the rest of your medicine. Nichole had it made while I came here. Try to get some sleep."

He nodded, but when she stood to leave, he wrapped his hand around her wrist, his eyes cracking open. "I don't want you to go alone."

"And who's going to take me? I'll be fine. It's just a quick trip. Just this once."

He sighed and kissed her knuckles before hesitantly releasing her. "Be careful."

"I will."

Sleep took him before he could hear her slip from the bedroom.

* * *

Sirius recovered quickly enough, though Samantha had been right. He'd had to miss work for the rest of the week. But Samantha stayed home with him and took care of him, and he found he didn't mind that too much. By the time Saturday arrived, he felt well enough to visit Grace and Joseph. They were confined to bed and hardly had the strength to talk. James was there, bleary eyed and pale. He'd taken a leave from work to stay with his parents. Lily and Harry had temporarily moved into the home as well. A cloud of sadness drifted over the home, and Sirius knew it was only a matter of time. Days, weeks. He doubted they had months.

They took to visiting every day. Sirius would pick Samantha up from work and then they would head over to the Potter's. They would bring food or cook there. Watch Harry so that Lily could take a nap or get something done she hadn't been able to. Sirius would drag James to the bathroom and force him to shower, or at least change into a clean set of robes.

And then one day midway through February, they stepped into the home and they knew. Something in the air told them that Grace and Joseph were gone. The house was silent, except for the sounds of Harry crying in the sitting room. Samantha covered her mouth and Sirius drew her into his arms, pressing his face into her hair. They stayed that way only for a moment before they broke apart. There would be time to fall apart later.

Samantha followed Sirius into the sitting room. Harry was alone in his playpen, his face red and blotchy from crying. Sirius scooped him up and cradled him gently, and soon the cries faded to whimpers. They heard footsteps hurrying down the stairs and Lily appeared moments later. She looked more composed than they thought she would, though her face was drawn tight.

"I only left him alone for a moment," she said. "I didn't want to take him upstairs, but…They passed early this morning. James hasn't moved or spoken since. He's holed up in his room and I didn't want Harry to see him like that. I was trying to convince him to eat, but he won't even talk to me." She paused to take a breath and looked at Samantha. "Do you think you could try? Maybe he'll listen to you."

Samantha nodded and exchanged a glance with Sirius. "I can try, though he never listens to me."

A grateful look passed over Lily's face and giving her a small smile, she made her way to the staircase. As she climbed to the second floor, she heard Sirius ushering Lily into the kitchen, insisting she let him make her something to eat, or tea at least. Whatever Lily' reply was was lost to her as she made her way down the hall to James's room.

The door was closed, but she didn't bother knocking before she opened it, slipping inside before closing it behind her. She could hear a faint banging of pots coming from the kitchen, and she figured Lily and Sirius had decided to cook dinner in hopes that she could convince James to come down and eat.

She wasn't sure if she could. He was seated on his bed, his back against the wall. The dark circles under his eyes stood out against his paler-than-normal skin. He looked like a little boy again, she realized. Once when they were eight, James stayed the night at her home. James had been downstairs in one of the guest bedrooms and he came bursting into her bedroom in the middle of the night swearing he'd seen a dementor in the garden. She'd wanted to make fun of him, but couldn't bring herself to with how terrified he'd looked and instead had told him he could stay with her for the rest of the night. He looked just as terrified now, just as lost. But this time, she wasn't sure how to help him.

He turned to look at her and watched her as she made her way towards him, as she slid onto the bed and settled herself beside him. She turned her head to look at him and for a long moment, they stared at each other silently. And then he sighed heavily and looked away.

"They didn't deserve it," he muttered. "They didn't deserve to die that way. So slowly. So miserably."

"No one deserves to die that way," she said softly.

"I spent all of my life worrying about death eaters when in the end it was a disease that got them. A bloody disease."

"They were lucky, James. They lived a long, happy life. They got to see you get married. They got to meet Harry."

He nodded. "I know," he said, choking on the words. "I know."

He leaned towards her, resting his head on her shoulder. Her arm went around him, her hand beginning to make circles on his back.

"I miss them already," he whispered.

"I know," she said softly. "I miss them, too."

They were silent for a long time after that. She'd wondered if it would be easier, knowing they were going to die soon. But now she knew that it wasn't easier at all. There was an ache in her heart that had become all too familiar over the past few years, but this ache was nearly as bad as when her family died. They had been her second family and losing them hurt nearly as much. She could only imagine what James was feeling.

"How's Lily?" James rasped eventually. "And Harry?"

"They're both fine," she told him. "Sirius had Harry when I came upstairs and I think he and Lily were going to cook something."

He sighed and leaned back against the wall. "I'm worrying her."

"She's going to worry no matter what."

"I wouldn't talk to her," he said quietly. "When I realized they were gone, I couldn't bring myself to speak to anyone, to do anything. I just came in here and didn't move. It's hard to wrap your mind around someone being gone forever. She tried to get me to speak to her, but I was still trying to grasp it. I didn't think about how much it would be worrying her until I saw she'd sent you."

"Don't worry about worrying us," she told him. "Right now, that should be the furthest thing from your mind."

He sighed again and rolled his head along the wall to look at her. "You said they were cooking food?"

She gave him a small smile. "I'm not perfectly certain but I think that might be what they were doing. If not, I'm sure they'll be more than happy to start."

"I think I could eat," he said just as his stomach growled loudly. Despite himself, he gave her a smile. "Ok, I _can_ eat."

"Then let's go downstairs and see what they've been doing."

They slid off the bed and made their way downstairs. She'd been right, it turned out. They had begun cooking something. Some sort of soup was simmering on the stove. Lily looked pleased when she saw that James had come downstairs and moved to give him a hug. Sirius was seated at the table, Harry still cradled in his arms, and Samantha slid into the chair beside him. Sirius gave her a small smile and passed her Harry before standing, squeezing her shoulder and moving to search for something to have with the soup. Dinner was spent retelling stories about Grace and Joseph and by the end of the night, James was laughing at a particularly funny story involving him and his father deciding to bake Grace a cake for her birthday. It would be a hard adjustment, that they all knew, but they would be alright with time.

* * *

The rest of the winter was uneventful. Though the Order was still careful with not knowing who the traitor was, Sirius still insisted that it was Remus, though he avoided talking about it with Samantha since she still disagreed with him. Remus still hadn't been seen, not since Christmas. Sirius mentioned his worries to Dumbledore at one meeting, but the headmaster seem oddly unworried. Harry continued to grow. At the end of March, he uttered his first word, "Dada", much to the delight of James. He was also starting to work his way towards walking. He'd been crawling since January, and he'd begun to try and pull himself to his feet. Lily worried he would hurt himself, and so didn't encourage him to try walking yet, but James was insisting more and more and she would likely give in soon.

Samantha's birthday came in April. It marked a year since she had been taken by death eaters and where they normally would have gone out and celebrated, they decided to spend a quiet evening at home. Sirius cooked a dinner that they hardly touched, and then they spent the rest of the night lying on the couch together, each lost in their own thoughts. Sirius held her tightly, remembering how terrible he'd felt when he realized she was missing, when he'd gone so long thinking she was gone. He never wanted to be apart from her again, and he planned to never again be.

Midway through May, Edgar Bones was killed along with most of his family. It was the first Order member to be killed since Gideon and Fabian, and it reminded them all that there was a traitor amongst them, that they were the reason they were being picked off so easily. Sirius still blamed Remus, but Samantha could not bring herself to. Remus was no murderer.

Summer seemed to speed by. In June, despite being set back several months the previous year, Samantha completed her mentorship under Nichole and became a full healer. Her hours did not change much, though she was called in more on her days off. Sirius was ecstatic. Now that they both had completed their training, they could be married. He wanted to do so right away, but Samantha convinced him to wait until spring. She wanted an outdoor wedding, and trying to plan it before it became too cold was too daunting a task, no matter how small they planned to have the ceremony. But Lily convinced her to start planning, and so many of their Saturdays were spent searching for the perfect cake or dress or flower to use for decorations.

One such Saturday midway through July, Samantha rose early to meet Lily at a flower market she had heard about. Samantha felt it silly to be worrying over such things when there was plenty of time left to decide, but Lily seemed too excited so she went along anyway.

"How's James been doing?" Samantha asked as she looked over the different variety of roses there was to choose from. She didn't plan on having roses at her wedding- they were far too much for her taste- but Lily had drug her over to them so she was looking to appease her.

Lily shrugged, admiring the white roses. "He's doing alright. It's just hard to have some time together with Harry."

"Well, you know that Sirius and I will babysit whenever you want. Sirius loves having Harry over."

Lily smiled. "Well, actually. I know this is very last minute, but I talked James into going out to dinner tonight. We were just going to take Harry with us, but if you could take him…"

"We'd be happy to," Samantha replied. "Since the meeting was cancelled for tonight, we don't have plans to go anywhere. And it will be a nice surprise for Sirius."

"He does love Harry, doesn't he? Have the two of you talked about having children at all?"

Color rose in Samantha's cheeks. "Not, not really."

Lily's eyebrows rose. "Not at all?"

"Well…there was one time the day Harry was born. He told me he wanted a baby. But he didn't seem to remember saying it the next day."

"Remember or not, he wants one, I'm sure of it. He'll be a good father."

Samantha gave her a wistful smile. "Yes, he will be."

A few hours later, Samantha found herself walking into their building with Harry in one arm and a bag of his things in the other. Though James and Lily didn't plan on going out until dinner, Samantha offered to go ahead and take Harry for the rest of the day. Lily had jumped on the offer.

As she entered the hallway, she noticed the sound of a barking dog. She frowned as it got louder, and when she realized it was coming from their flat, she scowled. She unlocked the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She glanced at Harry, expecting the commotion to make him cry, but instead he giggled and clapped with delight as Mica came tearing into the room, Sirius, in his Animagus form, close behind. He was barking furiously and Mica scrambled up the bookshelf in a desperate attempt to escape, knocking several books to the floor. Sirius leapt up onto his hind legs, but the cat had climbed far out of his reach. So he settled for staying on the floor and barking up at Mica, who was glaring down at him from the top shelf.

Samantha decided she had seen enough and stepped further into the flat. "Sirius," she said sharply.

He jumped and to his credit, he looked sheepish when he turned to face her, a rather silly look on a dog. A moment later, he was a human again and grinning broadly.

"Harry!" he said, striding forward to take him from Samantha. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" This was directed at her.

"I offered to babysit him," she replied. "So Lily and James could have a night alone."

"And what if I wanted to have a night alone?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow.

She moved her gaze past him, narrowing her eyes at the bookshelf where Mica was still hiding on the top shelf. Sirius followed her gaze.

"He scratched me!" he said in his defense, turning his gaze back to her. Her narrowed eyes moved to him, her arms crossed over her chest. "Look!"

He held up his foot so that she could see the scratches across the top of it. She rolled her eyes.

"You made all of that fuss over that tiny scratch?"

Sirius scoffed. "It bloody hurt. And I'm bloody tired of not being able to walk around my own flat without being attacked."

"And you thought chasing him up the bookshelf would make him like you more?"

Scowling, Sirius handed Harry back to her before stalking up to the bookshelf and stretching up to pull Mica off of the top shelf. As soon as he touched him, the cat attacked, hissing and scratching at his arms until Sirius dropped him with a curse. Mica hit the floor running and a large black dog followed close behind. Samantha shouted and jumped out of the way. Harry giggled with delight.

Sirius chased the cat into the bedroom and then slammed the door when Mica went racing out again. He hadn't had his shower yet and took the opportunity to do so. Samantha likely wouldn't be happy that he'd chased her cat again. But by the time he wandered down the hall, his hair damp and his shirt only partly buttoned, he realized she'd forgotten all about it.

"That's alright, Harry. Try again."

Harry pushed himself to his feet and managed to take a few unsteady steps towards where she was seated cross-legged on the floor before he lost his balance and fell. Smiling, Sirius crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame, watching as she encouraged him to try again.

She would make a wonderful mother. He loved to watch her interact with Harry and lately, had been unable to help imaging her with the children he hoped to have some day. Not that he'd told her that. With the ongoing war and wedding that he knew would arrive quickly even though it currently felt so far away, he didn't want to give her anything else to think about. Not yet. They had plenty of time ahead of them to discuss such things.

He watched them until Harry lost interest and began to play with a stuffed dog. Sirius had gifted it to him not long after he was born and it had a remarkable resemblance to his Animagus form (by pure coincidence he had claimed). He finally stepped into the room and sank to the floor beside Samantha, his knee brushing against hers as he crossed his legs.

"He's almost got the hang of it," he said, watching Harry play.

"He'd already be walking if Lily hadn't been so protective of him."

When Harry had first started to pull himself to his feet back in the spring, she hadn't encouraged it or tried to teach him how to walk, afraid he would fall and hurt himself. Only recently had she relented, realizing he had to start sooner or later.

"He'll get the hang of it," he replied. "How was the market?"

She wrinkled her nose. "I'm heavily considering letting Lily plan our wedding on her own."

"That bad?"

She shrugged. "Lily being there made it nearly bearable, but it's not my sort of thing."

"You could just tell her no. We don't want a big wedding anyway."

"Yeah, but she seems to be enjoying it. And it keeps her mind off of other things."

He shook his head and draped his arm over her shoulders. "Look at you. Sacrificing our wedding to help your friends."

"If keeping her mind off of things means having things a bit fancier than planned, then I'm willing."

"And do I get a say in this?"

"No."

He sighed heavily. "James warned me it would turn out like this."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "Turn out like what?"

"Just that you'd end up taking over everything and I'd be left to just go along with it all."

"Hm, well you should have known that from the start."

Sirius sighed again and pushed himself to his feet. "Have the two of you had lunch yet?"

"No. We were waiting for you to stop acting mental."

Sirius grinned at her over his shoulder before scooping Harry off the floor, causing him to squeal with laughter.

"Want to help me make lunch, Harry?" he asked, heading into the kitchen. "What about eggs? Maybe some bacon?"

Samantha wrinkled her nose. "For lunch?"

He grinned at her again. "You're taking over my wedding. Well, I'm taking over your lunch."

She rolled her eyes, but pushed herself to her feet and moved into the kitchen. Sirius handed her eggs to crack before he started the bacon. As he moved around her, his hand brushed against her waist and she smiled. She'd eat eggs and bacon for the rest of her life as long as she could eat them with him.

* * *

Lily and James moved again towards the end of September, this time to a cottage in Godric's Hollow. There was no indication that Voldemort was close to attacking them, but Dumbledore wanted to be careful. Sirius and Samantha helped them move their things and unpack into their third home in the same amount of years. But it was bigger than the flat they had lived in previously and Harry, now able to walk, had plenty of room to move around, much to his delight.

"Lily, sit down for a few minutes."

The redhead ignored Samantha's plead and continued to sort through the boxes of photographs. When she was ignored, Samantha sighed and moved to join her.

"At least let me help you, then."

"Do you think it's going to work?" Lily asked suddenly.

"What's going to work?" Samantha asked, beginning to go through the photographs as well. Lily insisted on getting them hung up right away, to make this new place feel like home. Where they lived was being kept a secret. Only Sirius, Samantha, Peter, and Dumbledore knew, and it was planned to stay that way. Sirius had already talked James out of informing Remus, not that he would ever be around to inform anyway. The less people who knew where they lived, the better, though it would hardly matter come next month when Dumbledore planned to cast the Fidelius charm to hide them further. Only Sirius and Samantha knew of that plan.

"Moving again. The charm. If Voldemort wants us, he's going to find a way."

"Sirius won't let that happen," Samantha said softly. "That's why you've chosen him."

"I'm sorry," Lily said abruptly, taking Samantha by surprise.

"Sorry?" Her face was confused, her eyebrows drawn together. "About what?"

Lily sighed and brushed her hair behind her ear. "For dragging Sirius into this. For dragging you both into this. We've been unsafe for over a year but now that he's going to be our secret keeper…" she trailed off, unable to finish.

"Oh, no, Lily. Please don't apologize. We want to do whatever we can to help you. We're not going to sit by safely while the three of you are in danger."

A shout sounded from outside, and they both turned to the large front window. Sirius and James had Harry between them. Harry was on a toy broomstick, one that hovered only a few feet on the ground. They were each holding him up and racing around the yard as fast as they could. It had been a gift from Sirius for Harry's first birthday, which had passed nearly two months ago.

"He loves that broomstick," Lily said, watching them with a smile. "He's going to love quidditch as much as his father, I'm afraid."

"He was doomed from the start," Samantha replied with a shake of her head. "He never stood a chance with James as his father."

"Or with Sirius as his godfather."

Lily finally sat after half of the photographs had been hung, collapsing onto the couch with a loud sigh. She turned to look at Samantha as she sunk down beside her.

"We're going to be alright, aren't we?"

Samantha gave her a small smile and nodded. "Of course you are. Everything's going to be fine."

There wasn't much food in the house yet, so when dinner time came around, Sirius and James apparated to the nearest muggle town and returned with three boxes of pizza. Lily had exclaimed that they couldn't possibly eat that much, but James and Sirius each ate an entire pizza by themselves.

"It almost feels like old times," James said after they'd eaten their fill. He was sprawled on the floor, a sleeping Harry curled up on his chest. Lily was seated beside him in a much more dignified position of crossed legs.

"Hm," was the only response Sirius could manage. He was lying on the sofa, his head in Samantha's lap and his eyes closed.

She looked down at him and ran her hand through his hair. "Did someone eat too much pizza?"

He cracked an eye open at her. "There's no such thing."

"One can never consume too much of anything," James muttered from the floor.

"What about the time you ate so much cake, you threw up?" Samantha asked.

James turned his head to scowl at her. "I was six. I didn't know when to stop."

"Not that you know when to stop now," Lily said.

Sirius turned his head to look at James, suddenly more interested. "I've never heard that story."

"There's nothing else to tell," James said, glaring at Samantha. "If you want to hear a good story, I can tell you about the time Sam decided her father needed a haircut while he was taking a nap."

Sirius looked up at her. "Really?"  
"I was four," she said in defense. "I didn't know any better."

"And how in the world did your father take it?"  
"Elizabeth used to swear he nearly cried," James said. "Of course, the story was always told in front of him, so likely she was saying that to rile him up."

"So that's why you're so particular about your hair," Sirius teased. "You get it from your father."

Samantha rolled her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair. It brushed her shoulder blades now. Still not near as long as she had worn it once, but it was a lot longer than it had been when it had been cut, and she did not worry over it as she once had.

"You're one to talk about being particular about hair," she said.

Sirius shrugged and made no attempt to deny it. It would have been wasted effort. Everyone in the room would disagree with him.

Lily sighed and pushed herself to her feet. "It's getting late. I ought to get Harry to bed."

"He's asleep," James argued.

"Your chest can't be very comfortable," Lily replied, leaning down and picking Harry up as gently as she could. Luckily, he was a sound sleeper and did not wake up.

"We should go anyway," Sirius said softly as Lily strode from the room. "We're having lunch at Adrien's tomorrow, and at this rate neither one of us will get up in time to get ready."

James walked them to the door, clapping Sirius on the back before giving Samantha a tight hug. Since they were in hiding, visitors were discouraged, and the was no telling when they would see each other again. Lily bustled down the stairs to give them each hugs of her own, and then they left quickly, hoping to not be seen by anyone.

That night while Sirius snored beside her, Samantha lie awake, unable to stop reliving the moment she'd said goodbye to Lily and James. She didn't know why it made her so uneasy, though she decided it had something to do with the fact they were limited in visiting. James had even taken leave from work to stay home to reduce comings and goings from their home.

Beside her, Sirius shifted and sighed in his sleep before turning to face her, his eyes cracking open.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. I just can't fall asleep."

He sighed again. "Come here."

She hesitated before scooting closer, resting her forehead on his shoulder. His arms circled around her, pulling her against him. She closed her eyes and relaxed in his arms.

"They're going to be alright," she heard him whisper just before she finally drifted off. "I promise."

* * *

Sirius sighed contentedly, tracing a circle on her bare shoulder with his thumb. "May can't come soon enough."

Samantha smiled and rested her head on his arm. "We've still got a ways to go," she reminded him. "Tomorrow's only just Halloween."

"It'll go by fast. Before you know it, it'll be time and you'll be panicking because nothing is done."

"Hm." She rolled over to face him, tracing her fingers down the long scar across his chest. "Perhaps the war will be over by then."

"Perhaps," he said, though he did not sound very optimistic at that statement. "I'm beginning to wonder if we'll ever see the end of the war. Moody says he'd like to start thinking about retiring, but feels like doing it in the middle of a war would make him seem like a coward."

"Mad-Eye? A coward?"

Sirius lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "His words, not mine. But I don't blame him. Not wanting to hand the command to someone while everything's going to hell. Never mind the fact that I don't know who would be mental enough to take the job."

"My father would have," she said softly.

"If he was still alive, Moody would have likely handed it to him by now. He was supposed to take over when Moody retired. They'd already discussed it. Did you know that?"

She shook her head. "No, but I'd suspected. Dad already was in charge half of the time anyway. They'd reached the point where they sort of split the job between them."

"He'll figure something out, I'm sure."

"Hm. I'm sure he will."

She tilted her head up and pressed a soft kiss against his lips. When she went to pull away, he wrapped his arm around her tightly, pulling her back to him to kiss her again. "Why do we have to wait until May?" he asked before pressing his lips to hers once again. "We could get married tomorrow."

"But I want to get married outside," she told him. "And it's far too cold."

"Then we'll be cold," he breathed, ghosting his hand down her back.

"Lily and James aren't supposed to leave their home. And nothing is ready yet."

He sighed heavily. "If you don't want to marry me anymore, just tell me. Stop torturing me."

She propped herself over him, smiling down at him. "I don't want to marry you," she whispered before she leaned down to kiss him.

"Liar," he replied against her lips. "You were always a terrible liar."

"So are you."

She expected some sort of clever retort in response, but instead he looked up at her and said, "Have you thought about having children?"

She looked surprised by the change of subject, but went along with it. "You know I have," she said, settling back against her pillows. "Why? Have you?"

He shrugged. "Lily and James having Harry has made me think about it a lot more than I had in the past. I think I'd like to. Start a family." He turned his head to look at her. "With you."

She smiled. "Well, I certainly hope you meant with me, since it's me you plan on marrying in the spring."

"Take that tone with me and perhaps I'll change my mind," he teased.

"Then I'll just find someone else to start a family with. Someone who won't boss me around or threaten to change their mind."

"Go right ahead. I'm interested to see who you end up with in my place."

"Probably some bloke who takes work too seriously and dares to think he has better hair than I do."

"Hm, sounds like an arse to me," he said, leaning over her. "I'll just have to convince you to stay with me."

His lips met hers in more intensity than they had before. She arched towards him, her hand moving to the back of his head as she lifted herself off of the pillows to be closer to him. His hand found her back and held her to him. When they broke apart for air, she fisted her hand in his hair, breathing heavily.

"Don't ever leave me," she said breathily, wrapping her arms around his neck as if that alone could make him stay.

"Never," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her neck. "I'll never leave you."

By the time midnight struck the next night, everything had changed.

* * *

**End.**


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